<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Aporia by leechailatten</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22726849">Aporia</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/leechailatten/pseuds/leechailatten'>leechailatten</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Blood and Violence, Drug Dealing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mafia NCT</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 16:35:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>44,423</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22726849</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/leechailatten/pseuds/leechailatten</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The police station of Gangnam has finally found a clue to discover and arrest the stealthy dark force that corrupts their streets.<br/>In this giant chessboard the big masterminds try to play a game against one another, and the pawns are their devices for success. One of then is Jung Jaehyun, an undercover police trying to dismantle the mob from the inside.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>71</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The inspector sighed vigorously as he rushed his sweaty hand through his hair. Long hours, he had been there for way too many and way too long hours. It was absolute chaos in the police station as soon as the reports came across it,and the noise that slipped through his door could prove it very well.  </p><p> </p><p>Taeil flipped the pages of the file one by one, carefully reading all the information. </p><p>The papers notified the police’s intervention over a fight in the public swimming pool. The Town's pool had been closed for at least ten years and the neighbors around had the hypothesis that the not-very-nice face of the city used the abandoned land for turbid motives. They told that to the police and they believed it easily, since the tall row of hedge covered the enclosure to everyone’s eyes, and made it a good place if you want to hide. </p><p>So Taeil had sent a patrol to watch out the pool on Friday and Saturday nights. Everyone had setted their hopes high with that movement because, although it was a comun acknowledgement of every netizen of that town that there were people in charge of moving drugs and black money, no one ever got close to stopping them. </p><p>There was suspecting, researching and investigations, but however, things didn’t go beyond speculations of who they were and where they moved. Taeil was so tired of the investigation at that point, but he was commanded by higher ranks, he just couldn't drop the case, he had to keep playing Risk with a blindfold. </p><p>Every week that passed without news from the swimming pool brigade made him fall deeper in desperation, it made the looks of the other policemen grow more judguing to him, it was a nightmare itself. The Days Repeated with a common pattern, one like the previous, without any change.  </p><p>Until Saturday night at 1:32 am. </p><p>It was that day that a fight broke out of a sudden, confronting a few kids from the ugly part of the city and some individual that they should have left alone, for their good. Whower those kids doing there was another mystery but for now, Taeil at least had in his hands a good upgrade of the information regarding how they were moving, and that’s what he wanted. Now the mafia team could run and play it off to hide it but the police had the advantage of knowing what they were after. </p><p> “We have to intervene!”</p><p>Taeil rubbed his temple trying to get rid of the acute pain pounding his brain “No, this is not how it works”</p><p>“Are you suggesting that we let them escape now that we have a clue!?” The insistence of the office’s rookie took him out of his nerves, driving him to smash his palm over his table “We have to act carefully, damnit, Donghyuk, if this is what we think it is,we have an issue with  major criminals!”</p><p>“Yeah, Donghyuk, Taeil is the inspector, I think he is acting for the best” cooed Mark, yet another rookie of the police station. </p><p>Taeil looked out the window. He knew that both of them kids were doing their best and using all their youthful energy to wrap up the case with him.                  </p><p>And he was glad they were, if it wasn’t for them there won’t be any volunteers to work in the  case. But their inexperienced way of acting didn’t help very good to his irritated state with work, it triggered literal anxiety in him how rushed they were. Donghyuk, in particular, thought he was a superhero rooting for everyone’s safety and the law to be strictly obeyed. Luckily, Mark was just a tiny bit more organised and hesitant about stepping up in plans, which made the other slow down at times. If it wasn’t for how Mark was full of conscience, Donghyuk would have walked in a party to punch a capo in the face and would have ended dead.  </p><p> “So what? We have made an advance in the investigation but we are going to sit back and watch? That’s your plan?”</p><p>“No. You two are going to go and arrest the kid who started the fight” estated Taeil, calmly. He started packing the reports in his drawers in front of the astonished gaze of Donghyuk </p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>“Donghyuk, listen to me, don’t you expect me to send you or Mark to fight an organized monopoly of criminality out of the blunt” the inspector stood up from his chair to emphasize his speech “Firstly because you have barely fired a gun in your life. Second, because we need to identify people before we can confront them. Find that brat, arrest him and interrogate the shit out of him. And then, maybe, we can talk about whether or not you should play the Hawaii 5.0 character.” </p><p>Taeil exited the office leaving the two rookies behind. He didn’t worry,it had no point. Even if Donghyuk was extremely passionate about fighting ‘evil forces’, he knew he wouldn't rage because he was harsh on him telling him what to do. Instead, he was 93% sure that the pupils would make an effort to be better at it, he knew they’d understand. After all they trained in the Academy like all of them did and knew the rules.  </p><p> </p><p>Taeil walked down the stairs saluting one and another work partner that carried their steamy mugs full of coffee ready to stay awake for their turns at night, approaching fast. Maybe he could grab one of those later, it would be good for his system. </p><p>But before, he had more important issues. He opened the door, not bothering to knock or wait for the answer to come from behind it, he was already coming in Jaehyun’s office. </p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun was someone of a great value for the police department. He was a lawful guy with clear mindsets, kind too. He graduated after Taeil did, but the inspector had considered him a friend, someone to trust. And that’s the reason why he wasn’t being able to sleep tight at night lately. When Taeil saw the opportunity, and after considering the innumerable combinations of options to operate, he became conscious of how Jaehyun would be his best candidate. Jaehyun was tall and hardy and he had a nice aiming rank. But most importantly,he had the ability of giving a fake facade, he was capable of pulling up a theatre and fooling people. Taeil had tried to convince himself that sending him to a pitch black hell was the best for everyone. That he would made it, that he could make his way through it unnoticed.  </p><p> </p><p>That’s why Taeil, two months ago and with very few officers knowing, assigned Jaehyun to be the undercover policeman who was sent to one of the directions they managed to get from     the criminal group, not without a crazy amount of effort. </p><p>His objective? Getting information and useful identifications of the subjects. </p><p>It would become easier for them to know how their plan worked from the inside, making it crumble like a deadly poison spreading from the inside out, but a piece of the inspector wished for Jaehyun to get scared and say no to such an assignment. But instead of that, he had to see how the young man, in the middle of the night, went in a club with bright lights and loud music, dressed like he never saw him before. </p><p>He truly looked reckless, like a boy who crushed down in highschool and never rose again, if that description is even valid. His hair was pushed back, a white shirt that made his body shape look quite delicious and a denim jacket. He was ready to sympathize with a certain guy called Doyoung, and he made it look easy. That day, he approached Doyoung convincing himself to look like an aggressive and tough man, offering him this and that falsificated documents to get free access to this or that business. </p><p>In a week he was in, and Taeil lost his trace. </p><p>He had to cut all his contact with him for the lie to be credible and he could not risk the life of his partner calling him to search for him. His office was empty, his house abandoned for a new one who won’t put him into links with  the department, his phone canceled and Taeil had no idea of what his new locations were.  </p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun volatilized.  </p><p> </p><p>But he was far from being dead, he was more than present when the door burst open to let Yuta walk in the base. Trouble was tangible in the air and it was not because of his solid   presence and fluent personality. It was because of the gathered minutes of waiting for him they had to do for two days in a row. </p><p>He too knew what was going on and he just came in in a deep silence, his sight was lost on the floor tiles and his lips pressed in a thin line. As soon as he closed the door, Taeyong was already stumbling through the room like a furious freaking typhoon.</p><p>Yuta flinched a bit but he stood still and looked the pink haired boy in the eyes. </p><p> “How dare you?” </p><p>Jaehyun had his eyes fixed over them, wanting to show no fear to the confrontation of the two boys, but the truth is that his tongue dried and the hairs of his arms bristled, as that was the first real messed up situation he was going to live in his flesh since he started hanging out with the group.</p><p>“I’ll fix it, man, relax” said Yuta. In those very few words the rage was still so present on them, it was overcharged, like a string that is about to break from tension. </p><p>In comparison with Yuta, Taeyong was a short boy and not only that, he was thin too, but Jaehyun already learned that he was powered by a strong fuel made by decision and bad temper so he was not underestimating him at all, not either he underestimated how bad the mood could go in a second. </p><p>Taeyong took Yuta by the collar of his worn out jacket and yanked him towards his own.  </p><p>“Oh, bet you will” he spat with a dark tone and pushed him back making Yuta stumble back a bit. Jaehyun could see the fire in his eyes arising more by the second “You lost a load of drugs, there were 24 fucking pounds of meth, Yuta! You better get it back, you better do it, because that was about 3K dollars worth.”</p><p>Jaehyun blinked slowly at the mention of such an important quantity of drugs and money in his fucking face. Two months ago he wouldn't have imagined that he would be involved in a case like that, and suddenly he was watching two boys discussing it just like it was nothing. True that they considered it an important sum of ganancies but it was just a little part of their business. A tiny part of it. </p><p>A proof of that was Ten, who was sitting right next to Jaehyun on the black leather couch of the office, with his balletic legs crossed and scrolling through god knows what content on his phone, giving the smallest attention possible to the other two’s argument. </p><p>A quotidian scene for him. </p><p>Reached that point, Jaehyun tried to make tiny notes in his brain of the information that may be useful for him but it was hard contemplating the concerns that the environment was giving to him. </p><p>“I told you I didn't have another choice! I went to the pool, like you told me! And I was waiting for that guy who was supposed to take the drugs to sell them. I was ready to make the exchange when these kids came and tried to steal it from me!”</p><p>“And you let a bunch of unarmed nerds steal twenty four pounds of…?!”</p><p>“No, shit, I never said that! But i had to fight them”</p><p>“Well, I thought you knew how to shot a man down”</p><p>“Tae, they were literal kids. They were not past 17, dude, and I know I’m rotten but not enough to shoot down a child” Jaehyun waited three seconds for Taeyong to clap back with a cruel answer but instead, he let Yuta keep going “And then the motherfucking police came out from nowhere! I had to run, okay? How do you want me to sell it in these conditions? I hid it. Since I don't think you want the police to put their noses in our thing!”</p><p>Jaehyun gulped. That was, for sure, a work of the patroll that Taeil sent to the pool. He thought the police were handling that with a little bit more care, minding the situation he was in. </p><p>“Okay so you didn’t lose it… entirely.”</p><p>“No!”</p><p>“That makes me want to punch you a little bit less. What about the police? They saw you?”</p><p>“Nah, i don’t think they could identify me, I was gone before they could blink tho. After that I waited to come here, so in case they followed me then…”</p><p>“You could fall without taking us all down” murmured Ten as Yuta didn’t put an end to the sentence. The undercover police tried to figure out what Ten was trying to imply with that sentence but any of the options that crossed his mind carried an evil life motive behind. “What a detail, baby”  </p><p>Taeyong’s severe pupils nailed in him. He was enraged, furious, and not with Yuta. Or at least not only with Yuta, it was something deeper, something that escaped from Jaehyun’s considerations yet.   </p><p>“We are fucked up, you all must know. But nothing we can’t fix” he collapsed on the armchair that was sitting near the couch where Jaehyun was, also covered in black leather. Sitting all wrong, like always, with one feet over the cushion and one over the armrest he rubbed his hands together like a fly, he became thoughtful. “Now they are sure that there are drug business going down.We need to wash our hands asap or they will end tracing us. Where did you hide the load?”</p><p>“The tunnel on the east road, there’s a fire exit aside” </p><p>Taeyong huffed “We need a plan. A good one. I don’t want or need to throw everything overboard and we had been this fucking close” </p><p>Jaehyun was dead silent. </p><p>He had always been a good strategist but now that he was inhibited, he was not able to think straight. Whichever the plan ended being, he couldn’t formulate it taking the police into much account; if he minded them a lot, Taeyong would become suspicious of him and if he didn’t mind them at all, the plan would come out to sound suicidal. </p><p>The pink haired boss looked at him, his eyes full of presence were able to take Jaehyun’s breath away for an instant.</p><p>When the young officer first came deeper into the criminal circle, he didn’t want to give credit to who was on top of every operation. He was young and small, which made Jaehyun wonder what kind of twisted mastermind he had to have to make a whole town fear his invisible existence, the police being totally knocked out for his discretion being just Jaehyun himself the one who got to take a look into the deep cesspit that was his life. Maybe it was the fact that, despite how hard Jaehyun looked, searched for it, he wasn’t capable to find any flaw on him. No, he had everything pinned down, like butterflies nailed on a cork and Jaehyun just couldn’t stand that, he needed to break that perfectly handsome porcelain mask to see if there was something else or if he was just empty from any feeling.  </p><p> </p><p>“Anything to suggest, newby?” </p><p>He said breaking the flow of his thoughts.That was shitty luck for him because, now that the leader asked, he needed to answer something bright and become trustworthy if he wanted to succeed.</p><p>“Key, what ‘bout this? If they know there are drugs but they don’t have us targeted yet we can take just a pack of meth... like 5 pounds and dump that shit to any of the kids.They’d be registered anytime soon, right? So they’d came out guilty… we take the rest of the load and sell it once and for fucking all”</p><p>There was yet another dense silence. </p><p>“How in hell do we crush in a house without destroying everything with us?” Questioned Yuta. “We’d let clues that’d point at us behind”</p><p>“No, no, shut up” said Taeyong raising a finger to quieten Yuta down, earning a confused look from his partner. Then, his gaze weighed again on Jaehyun.  “That plan can make it if we fix the holes. Ten, I can count on you to force the door open, right?”</p><p>“With a picklock? That’s easy” </p><p>“Okay, newby. Explain further” said Taeyong. </p><p>He hated the manner in which Taeyong treated him, still so distant to call him by that name, the way in which he looked down at him made him mad, like as if he was a helpless child. </p><p>“The boys needed a motive to be so late in an abandoned place. If they find drug evidence in their home, that comes to be their motive. If they find that, they'd make up something like they were fighting for money or for the division of the meth, according to the proof they have. Nothing else but addicts tearing each other apart.”</p><p>“Let’s say that would do… for now”</p><p>“I’m in” said Ten finally discharging his phone aside “But this is not a hit and run mission, we need calm, okay?” he said looking at Yuta, especifically “And latex gloves… that’s a key”</p><p>“Okay, you all heard. And, newby…” Jaehyun looked at his leader, unraveling a grin with a tint  of danger “...you are coming with us this time. You plan, you execute. The house’s rules”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That same afternoon was named as the one witnessing how the group of four boys, hooded carefully to hide every identifying feature on their faces, crossed the backyard of an average       house. Constituting the unusual formation on duty that day was Jaehyun,the strategist, together with Taeyong, the leader who was not risking their security in a mission not managed by himself, at that point. Then there was Ten,the one who had the talent to dismantle a keyhole, and last but not least, Yuta,who wasn’t too sure about the accuracy of the plan. Maybe that was increased by the fact that he was the one who was mostly involved into the police trouble, and he had had a constant cloud of culpability floating over him for the last three days because, in the case of being caught, they knew the punishment wasn't going to be light for anyone and doming a whole team because of your very own mistake was a crazy heavy burden. </p><p>The day so far had unraveled with a phone call from the leader to Doyoung, to order him that he took the hidden load of drugs from the tunnel in the north road. From all the group, Doyoung tended to do the ugliest jobs and Jaehyun heard that that was because he was stubborn and won’t hesitate much if the time to fight shows up. In other words, he was the first barrier around that closed circle. </p><p>However, he cleared the mission relatively quickly, giving the others the rest of the day to get ready and perfectly organize the movement to leave no hole in it. It was an easy plan but it required at least some patience to get it done right.  </p><p>While they crossed the yard, Jaehyun started feeling like one of those pinned butterflies Taeyong had under his control, all in for an extortion mission he never imagined himself doing. Not from that side. And it became realer when he saw Ten stop in front of the door, put on some tight white latex gloves and insert the slim and wavy picklock in the keyhole. He got his ear close to the wooden surface of the door and demanded silence with a gesture. Then, he started moving the slim bar inside the lock.  </p><p>According to the research that some Taeyong’s unnamed minion did, the owner of that house was a twenty years old kid named Dong Si Cheng. He was chinese and that was, so far, what Jaehyun managed to know together with the essential fact that he used the late afternoon of week days to have personal lessons in high school. That was the main reason they had for being there in that exact moment, meaning that there was no one inside the house, left free for their action. With all those preoccupations in his mind, Jaehyun watched Ten’s meticulous task quietly, while Taeyong just leaned on the wall patiently. </p><p>After less than a minute Jaehyun heard a subtle clicking sound. It was impressive, as he thought that the thai would take longer to do it, but half a minute later another click sounded, and then, easily brought by the agile picklocks, the remaining clicks and the quiet chirp of the door as it swung open for them. </p><p>Ten didn’t delay in turning to look at the other three members, and he openly gestured to the door.  </p><p>"Come in, ladies" </p><p>The house was pretty much what all of them figured it would be while waiting for Ten to open the door. A small place, but still not small enough for a boy in that age to pay the rent in time. It was bigger than a college dorm, with a small living room, according to the house’s entire measurements, that was at the same time the kitchen and then, just a few rooms more and a tiny bathroom. Definitely not a crib.  </p><p>"Okay so, where do we put this?" said Yuta weighing the pack on his palm covered with a white immaculate glove. </p><p>They all turned to Jaehyun with a sinister immediacy. </p><p>"Since this is orchestrated by you and only you, hit me up with that opinion, newby" said Taeyong all sarcastic. </p><p>That name was picking on Jaehyun’s nerves pretty badly, so much that he forgot for a second who was he talking to "Stop calling me that shit"</p><p>Yuta had to turn around to double check that he had snapped for real. And indeed he had.  </p><p>"Ohh… you don’t like that, uh?" </p><p>Jaehyun found quite amazing the rapidity in which all his senses came back to him and slapped him in the face whenTaeyong looked at him in the way he was doing. The undercover police collided against those pretty, breathtaking eyes, his dark pupils with a shine of danger and again, he felt weightless. "Maybe you can make me drop that nickname if you do something useful for me. But this is the modus operandi in here: you got us here, you end this plan. Be useful or get lost" </p><p>It didn’t happen to be clear for Jaehyun if Taeyong was recriminating him or if that was just the way he expressed himself usually.</p><p>"Somewhere hidden but not too complicated for a high school scum. Just… under the mattress" </p><p>Taeyong gestured towards Yuta, who made his way through the narrow hall searching for what would be the bedroom. And in the meantime, the leader’s gaze did not abandon Jaehyun’s face. "You need something better than giving me solutions for me to stop calling you a newby. Work it up if you want to see it happen".</p><p>Ten let out a whistle in the background as his gaze became elusive from those two's argument. His overdramatic presence was the last thing Jaehyun needed there. </p><p>"Okaaaay…" said Yuta, waiting with a blank expression, standing in front of the two of them. The sudden tension between them had him wondering how to act without getting scattered, and hesitation is what actually gets you killed when you are moving between the mafia, not bad plans. "The eagle is in the nest"</p><p>"Very good, Indiana Jones" chuckled Ten overtaken by that unnecessary secrecy verging on ridiculousness "You are the worst at pacific missions, I tell you. Who says that’s anymore?" </p><p>To break the tension, that about made it. Speaking about the building friendship field, Ten was the farthest one to Jaehyun, and it was precisely  for that subtle tints that spreaded over him sometimes. Like the fact of lightly considering breaking out in someone else’s house, using drugs to incriminate innocents and get them arrested, as a pacific walk to the mall. </p><p>Even thinking that that was exactly what someone should expect about such an organized illegal group, it felt strange when it was Ten, and that made Jaehyun especially dislike him. </p><p>For what Jaehyun had managed to know, the thai was not the most dangerous person in terms of getting someone else in very dark trouble, he was not the “type” of member for being involved with the group’s threatening part, he wasn’t going around with them like a gang. He had questionable abilities such as the locksmith one but, opposed to the other two present men or Doyoung, his hands were not bruised or peppered with cuts. Indeed, they looked soft enough to believe they were smooth without touching them. For that and for his mannerly way of moving, Jaehyun ended assuming that he had more to do with… business behind closed doors… if you paid him good enough.   </p><p>Jaehyun wanted to say those words, the ‘Can we just leave already?’ but considering the situation he swallowed them and kept quiet. Nonetheless,the effect of fear did not disappear just yet, but, far from it, increased when the sound of the keys turning inside the lock and the door opening assaulted every single one of them.  </p><p>“Oh my fucking god” hissed Ten with an incredulous look upon his face. “Taeyong, wasn’t this not supposed to happen at all?” </p><p>“Fuckfuckfuck, what do we do!?” whispered Yuta at the speed of light.  </p><p>Taeyong was frozen in place, but not out of fear, it was out of his majestic diplomance. Jaehyun could watch from the corner of his eye how his fingers were already wrapping around his gun and the air filled his lungs, puffing his chest ready to end that shit in any moment. Everything fell in the darkest silence only broken by the little steps of the young boy crossing the door, his backpack falling flat on the floor with the fatigue of coming back from school.</p><p>He must have been shocked, thought Jaehyun when he saw how his round eyes brushed all of them in a row, he barely emitted a sound before the thin thread of tension broke down.</p><p>It was a fast tide of events. Yuta just extended his arm to the closest item he had, taking the glass plate that had been there holding the keys at the front door, and elevated it over his head. </p><p>Ten gasped sharply divinating what Yuta was planning to do “No, no! Don’t do that you will…” </p><p>Kill him?</p><p>That’s what Jaehyun feared the most, he was supposed to be there to end all of that, not to make it easier. But horrified he witnessed how, before Ten wrapped up his sentence, Yuta had already smashed the piece of pottery on the back of his head, making him fall down on the tiled floor with a million pieces of glass decorating his surroundings like an areola. He gulped, as if with that he could swallow the taste of just being part of a murder scene.  </p><p>“... make a mess with the glass! Yuta, for fuck’s sake, now we have to clean this!”</p><p>Jaehyun tried to not make a fake move all over the place and just stood quietly staring at the small body lying down over his stomach. It wasn’t his first time watching a dead person but the entire length of the events were much more impressive than what he had been seen before. </p><p>Ten continued babbling tediously, because that was apparently what he did best “ Lucky you that he is not bleeding, we would have been in trouble. What were you thinking?” </p><p>“Ten, shut up” spat Jaehyun out of his chest “Do you ever stop talking?”</p><p>“Do you know how hard it’s to erase blood from a room?”</p><p>“You all, shut the fuck up before I break another pot on your head” interrupted Taeyong “Let’s end this fucking mess. Ten, clean this as if your life depends on it… which actually does. You, newby, tie this kid and carry him to the car. And Yuta you just… stop being dumb, and help the newby”</p><p>“I do what?” Jaehyun’s words flowed without thinking about it. He was just disconcerted “Him. The fucking kid. We can’t leave him here knocked out like this we need to take him. Jeez he is going to be a pain in the ass when he wakes up”.   </p><p>The younger one felt in some kind of way but he just resigned and, trying to keep just a bit of his humanity, he took the fragile body that was there laying like a bundle. At least he felt   slightly better while carrying him to the car, as he felt the slow breath making his chest go up and down like thanks god, he was still alive. </p><p>With Yuta’s help, he managed to place him on the car’s back seat while Yuta himself just pulled out a pair of handcuffs from nowhere Jaehyun could guess and locked him to the bar over the window. Then, they quietly stood there, sitting with the most awkward silence ever as the squeezed on the backseats of the Hyundai Elantra that they used to infiltrate in that neighborhood. Due to the new passenger, the space was less comfortable, making things even worse for Jaehyun in his first mission with the NCT group, which was how they had been named, as if they were some short of telecom company. But at least… he wasn’t stuck there with Ten.  </p><p>“I don’t know… if i admire you for being this fearless or you are just immensely insane” said Yuta looking at Jaehyun and discorcenting him over his sudden conversational mood with him. “Things are fucked up lately, as a new member, start fronting Taeyong now is kind of suicidal”. </p><p>Jaehyun felt tongue-tied. First off, because he had not considered that Yuta had steem enough towards him to give him any type of advice. And to continue, he wasn't even aware of what kind of dirty stuff was he talking about, because from his expression, something was telling Jaehyun it was not about his light error and the inconveniences in the last couple of days. </p><p>He bit his lips thoughtfully, thinking about the question he wanted to make, but anyways got distracted by the sound of Ten making it on the driver’s seat, as Taeyong sat at the other side. Jaehyun searched for any trace or clue about his feelings about all of that supposedly existent mess but his face was just the same calm marble it always was since he had arrived. Pale, cold, changless, flawless. </p><p>Maybe that was the actual problem. </p><p> “Let’s go. Now”  </p><p>That voice was also a calm river. But like all the rivers, the stones were hidden under the water, ready to cut as soon as you touch them. </p><p>Ten turned on the engine leaving their crime scene behind. It’s worthy to mention that the silence was still there when they started the ride to the base and it seemed like it would be lasting during the entire time. Jaehyun was having way too many minutes alone with his brain for his own consideration, all he could do was chew on Yuta’s words, turning and spinning them all over and trying to look at them from every possible angle to find the hole. All of this was a refreshing companion to the way he lost the self-control acting over his eyes that wouldn’t stop caressing Taeyong’s face. </p><p>At some minute, his cold and calm countenance turned to him, but he did not react, he was just lost. It took the seconds Taeyong used to gesticulate towards the back of the car to notice that he wasn’t looking at him, nor Yuta. </p><p>“Listen to me, boy, I’m not being rough right now. So speak easily so we can finish this early” </p><p>Jaehyun rushed to turn his attention to the young boy chained to the car. His expression was a mixture of pure fear and senseless determination. He was giving Taeyong a look that kept fighting again the drowsy feel of the hit, and heating up until it broke into rage, ending up in a spit that landed on Taeyong’s face with the childish impotence of someone who was barely nineteen years old, or so guessed Jaehyun basing on his appearance and his dirty high school uniform.</p><p>“Bastard! What do you want from us!?” He yelled to the top of his lungs. Taeyong whipped his face with the back of his sleeve, unbothered.  Then, he leaned on the back of his seat to look at him closely. He shook his head with the disappointed face of an older brother, slowly clicking his tongue. </p><p>“What a fighter. It’s a pity that you came to fuck with the worst of the worst… How desperate are you?” </p><p>“What? I don’t have anything to do with you!” he kept saying, infuriated and sending curses to the leader. </p><p>“Sicheng… isn’t that your name? Dong Si Cheng”</p><p>“Sicheng?” he muttered before starting screaming again, and louder this time “No! What did you do to him!? Let him go! Don’t hurt him!!” </p><p>As expected from that torrent of hate and emotions, all the feelings transformed into a loud wail and tears. Jaehyun titled his head wondering what to feel in such an unreal situation but rather than get asphyxiated in the kidnaped kid’s fight against his prissioned hand, he fixed on Taeyong raising his eyebrows. So this were the situations he used to front as policeman but all reversed. So this... is what everything was about on the other side. “My brother! He is my brother!! What did he do, please, tell me he! He is a good guy, really, he is the only one i…”</p><p>“Ha… fuck” chuckled Taeyong with a tired tone, turning around again to look at the road ahead. “Your brother… He was not the smartest, anyways, kid. Just that.”</p><p>“Where is he!?”</p><p>“You tell me”</p><p>“What did he do!? WHAT IS THIS!?”</p><p>“Shut up!!” Taeyong grinned looking out from the car window. The fact of hearing Jaehyun tell the annoying trail of this kid's complaining to stop was something that gave him a sprout     of amusement. He asked himself what would be the main reason for that cut. Was he too close to him to stand all that loud yelling? Was he getting a headache? Anyways it was worth it hearing it “We have tape over there and I don’t want to force myself using it with you.”</p><p>“Thank you, newby. He was driving me crazy” And even thinking he was far from dropping the stupid nickname, Jaehyun felt satisfied with the way Taeyong spoke to him that time, and immediately after, he felt guilty and stupid about it. “Do you have a name, Sicheng’s brother?” </p><p>There was a short silence covered by the intermittent hiccups of someone trying to recompose himself and be mature enough to speak. </p><p>“Renjun. My name is Renjun” </p><p>“Thanks. You can shut him up now”</p><p>And following that, Jaehyun took a deep breath for his heart to get ready and put said piece of tape over his mouth. When he returned to his normal pose he came to see how, with fragility, Taeyong leaned his head on the cold glass of the window, waiting to the car drive to end. </p><p>If that imperturbability could be broken, Jaehyun didn’t know how. </p><p>He believed it was impossible.  </p><p>He thought it was impossible while guiding Renjun’s to the room where they locked him. He thought that while he reminded himself to go visit Taeil for the first time in forever to finally update him on something important and tell him that yes, the plan was working. He would have believed it all the way through until he didn’t. </p><p>He had stopped in the hallway of the NCT building that they called their base, on that exact night after the near collapse of everything in a single moment.  </p><p>Jaehyun had to shut every sound he was emitting accidentally, even his breath seemed to be too loud at that moment but finally the air was soundless and everything stopped its course so he was able to hear the voices behind the fancy looking double door. Not yelling at all, way worse. A tense and violent tone of conversation humming in the hall from the inside of an unknown room, still too muffled to understand concrete words. However, it seemed unreal to Jaehyun who, before that exact moment, believed Taeyong was unbreakable and had never heard him stammer in the entire transcourse of two months and menazing situations.  </p><p>“You still have too much to learn about this place, isn't it?” Jaehyun rapidly turned around to Ten’s startling voice. He was walking stealthy, going down the stairs, fixing the neaty black shirt he was wearing with a velated expression. He looked serious, but rested his face on his hand and gave him a resolved side look, in a pose of giving him friendly advice from the bottom of his heart with a voice that said all about how he wanted to make it look like if he cared. “If I were you, I would stay away from that door, baby. Crossing the line is an easy thing to do but not an easy thing to deal with” </p><p>Jaehyun found himself with his mouth parting, but no ask came out from him, Ten had put a finger on his own lips before he could. Like this, the thai kept walking down the stairs and disappeared from his vision with the same stealth as he appeared. Curiosity killed the cat, the policeman knew that proverb and had a particular belief in it. </p><p>He too, walked away from the hallway, pretending he never tried to overhear anything.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The inspector watched the spiral created in the coffee by the tiring movement of his spoon. He didn’t really have a craving of it in that moment, it was just an automatic thing he used to do to carry with his stuck situations. <br/> <br/>Donghyuk came in the office an hour ago, approximately, and told him they brought Dong Sicheng to a cell. End of the story.</p><p>After that, Taeil just wanted to be alone, think about his own stuff without anyone annoying him. Luckily, both of his associated policemen agreed to fill the papers about the new detention by themselves and sent them to the corresponding office, so the eldest wouldn't have to be dealing with his stress for a lot longer.  <br/> <br/>They were where they started, once again. <br/> <br/>He had the impulse of sending whoever who was knocking the door with petulance to fuck himself real good, but rejecting everyone, at that point of the investigation would become a social and proffesional suicide. Thinking about the what will they say was something that alwas had left him quite breathless when he stopped to contemplate it, so he had to front things like they were, show at least a bit of self confidence in front of his colleagues even if it was nothing but pretending. If he didn’t then he’d become Taeil,thei nspector who couldn’t solve a case and ended up nuts and alone and with twenty cats.<br/> <br/>"Come in!" Said Taeil raising his voice for it to cross the barrier of the closed door.</p><p>"Good morning, hyung"</p><p>"Jaehyun?" the officer got up quickly with his heart on his hands. Suddenly, he couldn’t contain his happiness, he was smiling from ear to ear. It had been more than a month since he last saw the youngest, and a week or more since Taeil stopped expecting Jaehyun to be the one to appear at his door after a knock. But he had not a doubt that it was his beloved friend the one who was walking in his office. It was him, and he was alive and breathing. "Jaehyun! You are here, you tough brat!!"</p><p>He crossed the room and hugged his friend sincerely and full of joy. He looked at him taking the time to observe his image again. After almost two months of not seeing him he had started fearing that he could forget his face. But yes, it was clear that it was Jaehyun, the same Jaehyun that left, but this time with some waves of something that seemed to him like fatigue perturbing his features and a totally ran-down outfit as if he had come from an underground fight. With all, no matter how different to the usual he was looking, his soft resemblance with his brunette hair did not change at all.</p><p>“Hey, how are you doing?”</p><p>“How am I? How can you come here so normally!? How are YOU?”</p><p>“I’m fine” He said with a smile. It was, indeed, his soft friend Jaehyun </p><p>“Wow. I’m so happy to see you are fine and here. You have come in the best moment…I mean, I think I need someone to talk to before I lose my sanity to this job”</p><p>Jaehyun let out a soft laugh acknowledging the capacity of Taeil to stress over things, especially that mafia case that had him awake day and night like if it would decide his entire value. He              missed his anxious reactions to stuff, in general, he was a bit endearing with them and felt warmer than the gelid tension at NCT base. “Because of the damn pool brigade. I thought we got something, I had all my hopes on it… what nonsense…”</p><p>“Nonsense? What are you saying?”</p><p>“You see, everyone assumed that the people gathering on the pool were connected  to the mafia case but we led an ambush and they were just dealers fist fighting and, according to my research, probably too high to even process what they were fighting for” Taeil shook his head resigned and came back to his chair. Jaehyun followed him with his gaze, realizing how big his disillusion with the final outcome of his plan was. “I wanted to be wrong but I sent my team to the kid’s houses for the pertinent register, you know? It came out that that was it… dealers. We arrested him and…end of the case”</p><p>“He is innocent” Taeil looked up from his coffee mug to Jaehyun with a shine of hope on his eyes and an undeniable surprised expression painted over him. Jaehyun would have smiled back at him in any other case but he was certainly feeling the burden of his words, because a voice in his heart was murmuring to him that he was the one to blame for that desillusion in his friend’s aura. Because anyways, Jaehyun knew well that he had been the one suggesting how to carry the entire hit.</p><p>“You know something?” </p><p>“The boy you arrested. He is chinese, twenty years old student named Dong Sicheng, isn’t he?”</p><p>Taeil grew even more happy, showing a brighter grin “Yeah, exactly! So you know something!”</p><p>“Just a bit.”</p><p>“Tell me, Jaehyun!” said Taeil pulling out a notebook and a pen. The youngest sighed, plopping on the chair in front of his friend’s desk and collecting the story, half blurred in his brain due to the haste and panic, to tell it away as detailed as he could. “ Please, make me feel like everything I worked for is useful”.</p><p>“Well, the mafia actually moves the drugs, as you know. They have a big monopoly and distribute them around Seoul getting all of the ganancies for them. It’s one of their biggest sources of income. Then, the other day, when you sent the ambush, they had a delivery but some kids got in their way. I don’t know exactly what they did, it was out of his plans too, but based on what Renjun tells… I think they wanted to steal drugs from them to sell it and get the full gains. These kids must have too little money... I guess they do what they have to do, in desperation. But anyways, the mafia moved really fast on them to incriminate them instead, and wash their hands.”</p><p>“Fuck” whispered the inspector. </p><p>It was big, they acted so quickly and perfectly in the spawn of one day and they did not leave a single thing that could point to them. Taeil took a moment to rub his temple and put all the information in order, under the attentive eyes of Jaehyun who was in a convulsing mixture of  feelings about how useful could his news be for his senior </p><p>“So…we really got closer to find them this time...should I let Sicheng free, then?” </p><p>“Well… I think he would be safer if you keep him for a while.”</p><p>“I don’t understand, why would be better to keep an innocent child in jail?” Taeil looked at his partner confused. He won’t be skipping regular protocol for nothing, that was not very him.</p><p>“Because we… because <em> they </em>kidnapped his younger brother. And I don’t think he is going to find a better end, anyways”</p><p>Taeil gave him a look that nailed into his soul, he was absolutely shocked of hearing it but, beyond that, he was perturbed by the sudden confession. </p><p>“They what?”</p><p>A fight without weapons in an abandoned pool just got into something much darker, like, who could assure Taeil that he was looking at the correct things all this time if he couldn’t imagine what was behind every action of NCT? All the time he watched the tip of the iceberg and he was missing a whole universe of dirty stuff underwater. He must have known, he was the one assigned to that case but being real and facing the truth he was so naive that until Jaehyun spoke he wasn’t really aware of what he was into and how dangerous they were playing. Maybe the most striking part for him was the fact that Jaehyun was on the other side, that he really sent him <b>there</b>.  </p><p>At that moment he really felt guilty, to the core. He wanted to take him back to the office and not let him go there ever again. There was no manner to calm himself, the more he tried and the more he told himself Jaehyun would be okay, the more he remembered that this was just the beginning of the story and that it could go worse every time.  </p><p>“Jaehyun, drop the case”</p><p>“What?” he answered puzzled and not very pleased with the words of the senior policeman acting like everything could be done in a second. “I can’t do that now, they already count on me.”</p><p>“This is…”</p><p>“Huge. I know, that’s exactly why I can't back off.”</p><p>“Don’t be naive, this is dangerous.”</p><p>“No, you are the one who is being naive here. You think they won’t find me? And kill me? If I do that they will” Taeil shutted up, anxious. “No, they won’t let anyone who knows them go away with the info. You should have thought about that earlier, hyung” </p><p>Those were not the best words Taeil could have asked for, at that moment. </p><p>What had he done? For the love of god, the police investigation was not more important than his close friend, it shouldn’t have been. How could he? And how could Jaehyun not be recriminating anything to him when he had mindlessly sent him to Kim Doyoung?</p><p>But indeed, the youngest was not even considering the recriminations he could have been shooting at Taeil if he had paid more attention to him, since he was rather thinking about how Taeyong would react if he really disappeared from NCT. He would kill him in less time than he could need to make a plan to escape. Or he would simply make a gesture with his hand and send Doyoung, who would shoot him between his eyes with a 40 mm caliber. He assumed it would be easy for him, too easy. </p><p>In the background, Taeil kept talking with a ringing preoccupation in his voice and wouldn't stop trying to give a million petitions to go back to the previous situation. It had no use   already. </p><p> “I have to go, Taeil.”</p><p>“But…”</p><p>“I really, <em> really </em>, have to go” </p><p>The phone was becoming too hard to ignore as it won’t stop vibrating in his pants’ pocket with insistence. One text after another, Yuta was telling Jaehyun that Taeyong wanted to see him in his office in an hour. Less, if he was able to arrive there sooner. </p><p>He inhaled the rancid air of the closed room and directed the last glance to Taeil. “Don’t underestimate them, don’t try to find me until I come here, if I do it, and over everything, always think big plans if you want to find them. I’ll try to help you more when I can, I am filling up some reports about the members but we really can’t leave loose edges here”</p><p>Taeil watched him go, unsure of what had just happened in his room. At least he was sure that Jaehyun was blending in without apparent problems. He saw him well, without any trace of injuries and that was something that let him breathe more freely. He had to trust him to do the best he could, he was smart and could survive by himself. </p><p>Because, apparently, everyone had to trust Jung Jaehyun. Even the criminal band under the name of NCT. He must have had the word “trustable” and its description tattooed on his forehead. </p><p>He entered the base and quickly walked to the same room they used for gathering a few days before to plan the hit on Sicheng’s house. It wasn’t too big, but it was enough for the leather couch and armchairs, as well as a coffee table with some chairs. The difference was that, this time, there was only Taeyong there, sitting on the table, going through some papers. He didn’t have the decency to leave that task to look at Jaehyun when he took a seat in front of him. Of course, the undercover policeman had to sit there, feeling like he was being looked down once more. He stood straight, in silence waiting, for Taeyong to say the first word.  </p><p>It would be a lie to say that the undercover police didn’t notice the piece of bandage next to Taeyong’s eye’s corner. He looked at it curious and then felt the regret of doing so and being discovered. </p><p>“Finding something interesting on me, newby?'' said Taeyong, tapping the plaster with his finger and cutting the silence. For that, Jaehyun would have prefered the quiet leader going through              papers. But, well, after all, they weren’t that far from it, because Taeyong still haven’t bothered giving him a look while asking his question, he kept reading across whichever document he was reading. </p><p>“No”</p><p>“Fine. You may be asking why I call you, aren’t you?”</p><p>“Because you want me to do something, I guess”</p><p>Taeyong abandoned the reading to look at Jaehyun’s face with a petulant smirk. He could have read how tense Jaehyun was from two kilometers. “Exactly. So… you know how to play blackjack?”</p><p>Jaehyun had to look at him in silence for a few seconds to check that he heard it correctly because it was the last thing he expected coming from Taeyong at that exact moment.                 He had expected a load of shit for him to ask, from stealing something to blowing up a building using nitroglycerin. </p><p>“I’m not very good at it… but yes I know how to play.”</p><p>“Well, congratulations. You are now my bodyguard for tonight.”</p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>“I have some business to close, I have to go to the Casino and I need a bodyguard. And I  repeat, it’s you.”</p><p>“Me?”</p><p>“Are you slow getting what I say? Yes, you. Is not that crazy. Doyoung is too rough,Yuta is too low and you look much more elegant. But whatever, I don’t have to give any explanation to you. Wear a suit, if you don’t have one… buy it. Be ready at 9, I’ll go and pick you up.”</p><p>Not even by one minute. The leader wasn't even one minute late. Exactly at 9 o’clock the doorbell rang with a metallic echo.  </p><p>Jaehyun had really tried his best with the suit. It was a navy colored suit with a white handkerchief in the pocket and a grey scarf over his shoulders. That looked better on him than the usual streetwear they all used on weekdays. He looked at his own reflection and admitted to himself that he was looking extremely good. Maybe that was the reason for that suit to be that expensive… to instantly look good when you wear it. Even if he thought he may have to sell an organ in order to pay the bill of the tailor, it seemed worthy when wrapping his body. Taeyong would have ripped his kidney himself if he hadn’t shown up how he said, anyway, so there was no point refusing to do it. His hair was styled simply, down and fluffy as always, he didn’t want to overwork it so he just let it like that.</p><p>He turned from this side and then to the other, checking himself out. Ah, if he only had had that type of look in any of his highschool dates, he would have caught a couple by then. </p><p>He walked across his house, still not used to the new disposition of its rooms, looked at himself once more in the halls’ mirror and opened the door with decision.</p><p>As soon as he did, he found Taeyong standing in front of him, all his pink hair pulled back  and slick. Black suit, black shirt and black tie. Everything blacker than his black eyes that were going up and down Jaehyun’s silhouette. He hummed causing a chill to shake the               police’s spine out of intranquility.  </p><p>“Take off that bowtie, you are not ‘bout to graduate from college” Jaehyun untied the ornament and discharged it on the table located at his house’s entrance. It almost hurt, because the bowtie alone was 79 dollars worth. The boss nodded content and then, he reached a hand and passed it over Jaehyun’s side, under his jacket. He almost choked on that bold contact out of the blue, but when Taeyong's finger touched the handle of the gun under the jacket and his smile appeared, he understood what the purpose of such vivid caress was to check if he was willing to do everything, not to raisen his pulse, thing he had gotten, as well. “Good, out of ten points it would be an… eight, not bad to be a newby.”</p><p>Taeyong laughed at Jaehyun’s grimmance. Would he ever stop it? Two months of questionable morality was apparently not enough for the leader to stop being a newby and that riddled him up. </p><p>“Follow me” Taeyong went down the stairs of his house with that simple order in the air and,  having a particular care not messing up his outfit, Jaehyun went behind him. He was too busy looking at the ground and keeping himself to slip on the rainy weather. Everything had to be perfect, he had to be the most trustworthy bodyguard on history for the sake of the investigation, and he was determined to get it done. He was a perfectionist, and very very competitive. </p><p>When he looked up again he found himself face to face with a fancy and black limousine that shone with the elegance of his alleged owner, who was, in fact, already moving inside it’s soft seats. He looked like he belonged there, in that pretentiously expensive world of sport cars and money showers. </p><p>“Get in”</p><p>At that musical toned words, Jaehyun rushed and got in the car just to discover it was Doyoung who was in the driving seat. He got into the role too, dressed like a real chofer of a real limousine company, as if nothing of what was going on in there were his business.</p><p>“Hi, Dons”</p><p>“Hey, Jaehyun”  </p><p>As the ‘chofer’ started the engine and got out from Jaehyun’s parking site, Taeyong reclined on his seat and stared at the undercover police vehemently “Listen closely as I explain what you have to do. There’s a briefcase with money under the copilot seat. Doyoung is going to drive us to the Casino. When we arrive you take the briefcase and follow me. We are going to play a couple of rounds, don’t speak to anyone if it’s not necessary. When I tell you so, we are going to be leaving to the upper floors, give this money to his owner and go. Is everything clear?”</p><p>“Yeah” spoke Jaehyun softly, getting the harsh idea of how all those instructions were merely  for him. Doyoung was just there as an aftermath of needing someone to drive and make it realer, the whole weight of the operation was, then, on him. “But… who should I give this to?” </p><p>“No, not ‘should’. Must” cleared the leader “Well, you see, the rich man that owns this casino and all that it’s laying inside of it made us a favour and we owe him money. We are delivering it to his son, Lee Jeno.” </p><p>Nah, it didn’t sound familiar to Jaehyun, he had never heard his name before, but anyhow, he nodded and accepted whatever Taeyong came up with for the night. </p><p>The Casino never had charges for corruption but as Taeyong spoke to him, he started thinking that he should have to notify it toTaeil so he could send the secret police over there. If someone had to stop to think about it deeply, a casino is a good ground for corruption to be planted with all that money, games, drinks and the people from the selected bourgeoisie of the city going around, too carefree about going bankrupt to give a damn about legal stuff. The price of their entertainment was far upon morality.  </p><p> “Lee Jeno. I got it.”</p><p>“Good. As I guess you can comprehend, this is a discrete movement… you get me on that too?” </p><p>“No one can know about this”</p><p>“That’s it” Taeyong grinned “I was right, you are the best one to do this."</p><p>"Thanks for choosing me”</p><p>Those words were spilled senseless from Jaehyun. </p><p>Taeyong just chuckled and put his eyes away to look out the window as he tended to do. “Thanks for making you my bodyguard…. You are surely a crazy bastard…”  </p><p>Making someone a bodyguard for you shouldn’t be a compliment, isn’t that obvious? If you are a bodyguard, doesn’t that mean you take a bullet for someone else? The fact is that Jaehyun indeed felt grateful for that sparkle of trust even though that shouldn't be in that way, since it was literally his job to go against all of that. </p><p>But then again, he was very competitive. </p><p>More of this sensation came when they arrived at the place and Doyoung stopped in the front for them to walk out of that limousine like two impressive businessmen. With the briefcase, it only put the cherry on top of that look of having spended their life living from daddy’s insurance and the promise of inheriting all the company as soon as the oldie turns fifty. It kept being there all night long,he just felt… honestly? Like Taeyong’s kept mistress. Going wherever he went, doing what he said, if he told him to go to a table and play blackjack with him, then play, if he said sit nearby, then is nearby where he should be. </p><p>And with all of that, he still had the time to be amazed by the voluptuous elegance of the whole place.  </p><p>A decoration of colored marble and wood, the crystal lamps, the carpeted floor, the lights and the sound of the tables full of games and despreocupate inebriated laughs from the participants. </p><p>The fast movement of the waiters and waitresses going from side to side with big plates of food or tall cups with colourful drinks was almost fun, to be a mission to dislike. Meaning… the fervent pulse of the Odalisque Casino (that was its name) was way more enjoyable than bumping into a house with a bunch of meth in the sweet company of Yuta and Ten. No, spending the night playing cards with Taeyong was another whole mood.  </p><p>It seemed like a party if it wasn’t because around midnight, Taeyong hissed into his ear that  they should be going upstairs and delivering the thing. Is not that Jaehyun had ever played that game but it looked like the time of rejoicing hit his end and now was the time to stop  pretending they were there for fun to pass to more turbid purposes.  </p><p>They went into a room, it looked pretty average from the outside, nothing that differentiate it                from the other many doors in the upper floors. But from the inside it was another whole thing.</p><p>It was a big room, worthy of being called a luxury suite. To Jaehyun, the air smelt like money from the moment Taeyong let the door swing open. </p><p>He stopped for one second and looked at his bodyguard "Don’t touch anything and, over anything, follow what I say."</p><p>They entered the suite, it had a classic wooden floor, but a modernist vibe brought by the design                 of the furniture, with simple lines and basic colors. The bed was big enough for two people to sleep on it without touching each other at all in the whole night, though the purposes were probably far from that.  But the most shocking part was that there was who, Jaehyun supposed, was the son of the casino’s owner, Lee Jeno. </p><p>Jaehyun looked at him and wondered what in hell was happening with the kids of the town because he was scandalously young. Indeed, he reminded him of Renjun since they should have the same age, approximately eighteen years old. Clear is that they had an immense difference regarding his monetary status. Jeno was, without a doubt, a boy who was born in a privileges’ bubble. He had hair like sun rays, pale blonde and slick, a white shirt and pleated black pants.  </p><p>“Hello, gentlemen” he spoke. The last word held a brief tone of irony, since they were no gentlemen but a disguise of it, because, however much Taeyong could look like a true suits’ model, his attempt to gloss over the fact that he was not a neat rich kid was evident for Jeno already. “I’m Lee Jeno, but I think you already know that.”</p><p>“I’m Taeyong” said the leader without taking the molesty of introducing Jaehyun too. “Since I prefer handling this with discretion, let’s end this soon. Newby…” </p><p>Taeyong clicked his fingers and made a gesture towards Jaehyun,who was in charge of carrying it. The brunette boy let the briefcase on the bed, in front of where Jeno was standing. His look was attentive even if he was young, denoting a sprouting ability for business and administration. </p><p>He opened the briefcase.  </p><p>Jeno started counting the rows of green bills that were lining inside, taking one of the wads in his hands and examining it carefully. Then he raised an eyebrow sarcastic. “In the mood to play us?”</p><p>Jeno clicked his tongue. </p><p>Taeyong looked at the blondie with an irritated expression. </p><p>“My father is not gonna like this at all”</p><p>“What are you saying, you spoiled brat?”</p><p>“There’s only 1 million and six hundred dollars in here. The deal you closed with my father set the price at 2 millions and a half. You can trick the junkies you sell drugs to but not me” </p><p>Jaehyun quickly gave a look to Taeyong. He was so serious that Jaehyun almost got convinced about the leader giving away less money than he promised on purpose and that everything was some maniac plan of him. </p><p>“That’s all the money that we have for you” </p><p>Jeno sighed and took a pretentious looking revolver out from under his blazer. Jaehyun wanted to be swallowed by the earth and never come back.</p><p>“I don’t think so” </p><p>“What are you doing, stupid?” Recriminated Taeyong </p><p>“My dad warned me about the type of garbage you were. You think he sent his only son to you with empty hands?”</p><p>Jaehyun really really wanted to believe that Taeyong had a plan, at least, to go out from this situation in which he was trapped with him and a kid holding a revolver towards them in his intricate castle of opulence. </p><p>But Jeno aimed his gun at Taeyong and, instantaneously, Jaehyun's gun also made an appearance and moved to end aiming at Lee Jeno. Because that was his job that night, the only thing he wished for is that he could avoid firing.  </p><p> Taeyong didn’t have the look of someone who would back up. </p><p>“Tell your father that I’ll have the rest of his money next time and stop playing with pistols, you are gonna hurt yourself” warned Taeyong, reluctant to admit at any moment that he, or any of                them, made a mistake with the amount they put in the briefcase.</p><p>“My father said it was one single pay. You have to pay your debt, Taeyong. Now.”</p><p>“You are telling me how I should manage my own business?”</p><p>Yes, Jaehyun was wondering about that too. What kind of education had Lee Jeno received  to be mean towards the mafia? and with a gun pointing to his head. Christ, it must be true that the Odalisque was a corrupted ass place to grow up. But Jaehyun knew that by the end of the day, Jeno would keep being nothing but a teenager who doesn’t know what he is doing. </p><p>And he had a plan.  </p><p>The hammer of the revolver sounded with a slightly, hesitant click. Jaehyun was definitely not  in the mood for his shit.</p><p>“Drop that gun or I’ll shoot. First warning. I won’t tremble”  announced the undercover policeman, firmly aiming to the rich man's son.</p><p>“You can’t kill me. My father would hunt you and destroy you” said Jeno kind of cocky. God,Jaehyun more than new that it was true, thatJeno, despite how spoiled and annoying he was, got a point there and his father will start a riot against them if he died. Just by seeing all of that Casino he could be sure about it. But in honor of the place they were in, he had an ace on the hole. Pulling out a bluff. </p><p>“Then we’ll kill him too and bury him in the lonliest ditch in this town ‘till the police gets tired of searching for his corpse” Jeno’s expression changed gradually, and Jaehyun congratulated himself mentally for the perfect act. </p><p>Taeyong looked at everything patiently, without bothering to pull his own gun out. He looked how determined the brunette boy was to make Jeno fall in that insolent trick that had him terrified deep down, with an interested air. Bury him in the lonliest ditch…. Those were harsh words, too much, even when Jaehyun was the one who said it with his gentle voice. </p><p>“I don’t think your family wants to host a double funeral. Don't underestimate our potential. Look at the position we are in.You think no one tried to stop us before?”</p><p>Jeno, with his trembling hands, moved the gun from Taeyong to Jaehyun, leaving them  facing each other. The boy, who spoke shuttering, tried his last efforts to impose himself over the one who was aiming at his chest with a look that seemed strong enough to shoot. </p><p>“It’s a bluff… I know how to recognize them, this is a poker house”</p><p>“Dare to prove it”</p><p>“Newby…” spoke Taeyong “Remember what I said before? That rule I very much insisted you remember?”</p><p>“Yeah” it was clear. It had been clear all night, all the month even. To follow what Taeyong says. </p><p>“Perfect”</p><p>Taeyong, in a fast act of insane gallantry and lack of self care, grabbed the briefcase and hit Jeno with it, just calculating good enough to tear the gun from his hands, which left Jaehyun without oxygen in his lungs from the shock and the impact. Then the leader turned around  and exited the door fast like a thunder in front of Jaehyun’s surprised eyes. That was an unexpected turn out of events.  </p><p> “Run!” he yelled at the stiffed Jaehyun, fiercely from the hallway.</p><p>There was nothing he wanted to do more, nor other option for him to pick, either. He just got the command and execute it, running after the pink haired leader across the long and carpeted hall of what looked like an hotel space with rooms at the sides. The sound of Jeno shooting cut the air followed by the sound of whichever surface that got to take the bullet breaking.                 </p><p>Although Jaehyun was conforming with not being hit, the illusion ended for him when a couple of tall and muscular men came out from one of the contiguous rooms. Of course, when you are as rich as the son of a magnate, Taeyong was not the only one to have staff to bodyguard him. In cases like that, what else could he do? Jaehyun took the hit like a real champion.  </p><p>He knew it had to come sooner or later, joining a mafia, it would be too optimistic thinking  that he would enter and exit without any quarrel. But facing facts, Jaehyun pictured that it wouldn't hurt that much, but it did. It did hurt enough to stop him from running. At that point ‘I’m a dead man’ was the only thing that crossed his mind, taking into account that he threatened the kid of an equally corrupt man pretty bad and those inmense guys probably heard him doing it. </p><p>He was still bent over himself and hissing from the pain that went across his jaw when Taeyong joined the match and kicked one of the bodyguards so hard in the stomach that Jaehyun thought his spleen would burst. Ahead of the situation, he collected himself and, before the second man could stop Taeyong from his fight against his partner,Ja ehyun ran to finish him. </p><p>He had worked as a police for a couple of years and it was not the first time having to front an enemy, but, being honest to himself, it was the first time he had to fight so hideously so, he just decided to go through all the ideas that he was taught in the Academy and came out with the most painful one. Which ended with him, holding his own wrist with his hand and sinking his elbow in the bodyguard’s chest. The man gasped out of air from the hit but, already into the fight, Jaehyun hit his face too. The man collapsed and Jaehyun was able to watch the pink hair of Taeyong as he ran across the hall to the elevator from the corner of his eye, so he just followed again in their previous and interrupted run.  </p><p>When he reached the cubicle, gasping in between the fear, the effort and, mostly, the rushing adrenaline in his veins, Taeyong had already pushed the button to close the doors.  </p><p>“Shoot”</p><p>It was a single word, a command in a breath, easy to understand, but ten thousand parameters were running inside Jaehyun’s head.  </p><p>“To kill?”</p><p>“We really can’t kill him!”</p><p>Jaehyun got the idea. A so-called warning shot. He pulled the trigger, making a smoky hole to appear on the red carpet, just in front of the place where Jeno was standing. The kid, of course, trembled with terror just witnessing such a scandalous threat to his life.  </p><p>And then, the doors closed. </p><p>Jaehyun couldn’t avoid the feeling of scaring himself with that unforeseen precision while shooting at Jeno. As the elevator went down, he felt the barrel of his gun still warm, like it had the will of being incriminatory. He nervously pulled the weapon in its place under his jacket. He wanted to take a deep breath and not think about it anymore, from now on. He was about to ask the boy by his side why didn’t he shot but as soon as he landed his eyes on him again he discovered why. </p><p>He was unarmed.</p><p>Taeyong was too busy at that moment to notice Jaehyun’s disconcert over him but he really hadn’t been carrying any weapon, and he was breathing a bit heavenly as a drop of seat kissed his temple. </p><p>“Take a breath. We are going the fuck outta here as soon as we reach the first floor.”</p><p>“Yes, sir.”</p><p>“And, newby…”</p><p>“Hmm… Yeah?” he coughed. </p><p>“Your nose is bleeding” he touched his nose and the liquid stained a crimson mark on the cuff of his perfectly white shirt. But it didn’t matter to him how expensive it was, he wasn’t bothered about that simplicity anymore.  </p><p>The shiny metal doors opened with a tiny sound from the elevator and Jaehyun obediently walked after the pink haired boy who diligently guided the two of them to the most discreet       exit he had nearby. He could pass as an actor, thought Jaehyun, if he was able of fake just a     bit of templance in front of this mass of unknown bystanders after punching a man till he lost his consciousness. But then, he fell into the realization that he was doing the same. </p><p>Was that any moral? Even if it was for the good, for helping Taeil… was that justified?  </p><p>The cold air hit his face as the Odalisque Casino’s door closed behind them. The rain fell over him like a blanket but the preoccupation of staying neat he had before was vanished. He   had his heart shaking and he kept it like that until they were back in the car.  </p><p>Taeyong was a mess, a foggy lost gaze into the abyss, as they were sitting in the back seats  again. Jaehyun wanted to talk to him, ask him why his eyes became stained glass, why was he shivering. </p><p>“That was fast, you guys” said Doyoung-</p><p>“Drive”</p><p>“What’s wr…”</p><p>“FUCKING DRIVE, DOYOUNG. Please.”</p><p>Not the right moment.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Don’t dare to look at me that way” said Taeyong, quite stormy. He was there, resting his butt against the table, his arms crossed over his chest in a signal of disappointment, like a father who is giving you a lecture. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, the feeling was heavier than just a father giving you a lecture. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun, Ten, Doyoung and Yuta were sitting in front of him, once more, scattered on the leather couch, and in the case of Jaehyun a bit scared and with a more timid predisposition to break the silence than the leader. He was overthinking about what he had seen in the limousine, as Taeyong's head flopped against the window and his eyes closed with a deep breath that exuded delicacy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now it was around five in the morning and his coldness had returnt. So much like that that he didn’t give a damn if he had to pull Yuta out from bed (which he literally did). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was strange, only Jaehyun knew, for Taeyong had sighed and given his hand a squeeze before coming back to that mad state. His skin was still burning a bit when he had touched him and his heart beated in a different way that seemed out of context for the policeman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Jaehyun could eye Ten with a salty gaze, asking himself who called him in the first place. He guessed that he was just flying around the base as always at those particularly late hours and got caught in the scolding web.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The interrogatory started in the shape of a tense tantrum and it kept going for a while, but only from Taeyong’s part, since no one opened his mouth to talk or complain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"One million dollars. I don’t care why in hell did any of you have the audacity to take them. I don’t care if you had the decency to think that I won’t notice or what were you planning to do with that money. I just care about me having them again and all of us not getting killed or arrested or both! Because you all know that we can count with capital sentence".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuta was beyond discomfort and also taken aback by the whole thing, maybe even a bit sleepy too, but Taeyong, as he had announced before, didn’t care about those factors and   picked him as the first subject of his conspiracy paranoia.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yuta"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nothing to say? What do you think about the money you almost make us lose in the first time disappearing?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuta shook his head simply, a shadow of sadness crossing his, for the moment, peaceful resemblance "How can you suspect me?".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong chuckled ironically. "</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From all of us, is it me? The first one you question is me? I have never failed you, never!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don’t know you this last days" Yuta’s expression decomposed in an wide indignant gesture at his leader’s accusations "Get a grip of yourself, don’t make me kick you out, Yuta."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can’t do that" he said jumping from his seat and getting up in his impetu. "You know I need the money to make a living."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes I know, and it hurts me to think about sending you home. But that doesn’t allow you to steal money! We are a family, remember that!?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I did not steal anything from that goddamned briefcase! But you know what? At this point I could have because I don't know what is going on with you, but I know I barely see my part of money, lately, and you have relegated me to this kindergartener’s babysitter!" Yuta pointed to Renjun who joined the party at some moment, probably because the volume of the conversation raised considerably and he woke up in cold sweat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, that kindergartener is your problem, if you let me remind you of that. But okay, sit down for now. Doyoung"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It wasn’t me"  he snapped quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And what is your excuse?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do I need one? Taeyong, dude, I drove you to the place, you saw me, I didn’t touch the briefcase at all." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, then what? Because Ten hasn't been here all day, so I doubt it was him. And I’m not going home without a conclusion even if that means locking you all here." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What about Jaehyun?" inquired Doyoung with an irritated voice. Taeyong’s eyes darkened, and nailed in Doyoung’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What’s up with him? You don’t even think about suspecting him? He is the newest one. The "newby". Because I haven’t heard you blaming him for something all night."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I’m quite sure Jaehyun doesn’t have the money."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know, now that Doyoung says this... it's true that he is the newest. Why can’t you even point at him?" highlighted Ten with a grin of intent. Taeyong scrunched his nose irritated with his intervention, with all the collective way of doubting his decisions and with the particular picking in the topic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shut up, Ten, no one even called you to this reunion, in the first place, so I don't know what you want to get from being here. You have the door there, wide open for you if you are disappointed".</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The monotonous tone in which Taeyong told him to leave was a pure expression of passive-aggressivity. Ten, under the look of the remaining members of the room and also Renjun’s, got up from his seat petulantly and started leaving.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes, that was his way of obeying orders. He could look like he was coping with something because he wanted to, because he had an unconcerned manner to move, and at certain moments that was exactly what it waa, but he always ended up doing as told, mostly in a bad way.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So I’ll miss the drama, excuse me, everyone. I’ll be leaving first."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don’t worry, we’ll pass well without you stirring the shit all over the place" answered the purple haired one. Jaehyun was not sure if that was a joke, as he laughed and said it in a humoristic tone, because for him it sounded like the exact reality. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Doyoung, don’t try to ease the mood, you know I'm not over with you. I left you alone in the car. Where is the money?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So your theory is that I took it…and where did I hide it later? I put hundreds of dollars in my pocket and happily drove you to the Casino? Taeyong, think about it… you are fucking losing it, man. You tell us to collect ourselves but is you who is going nuts" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I WOULDN’T BE DOING THIS IF YOU ALL STOPPED GIVING ME REASONS TO DO IT!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even Renjun jumped a little bit with the reply. Jaehyun had his heart clenching, it was obvious that those last arguments inside the group were nothing usual, like Yuta had said, and that he came just in time to see them show all their weakness. And that, more than making him believe in luck, he discovered that it made him think that it was all his fault.                   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was, indeed, what he was searching, right? Taeil sent him to find a weakness and attack right at it. But it was a little too daunting.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong sighed and turned to the undercover police. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Jaehyun, you can go home now, because this is going to take all night and you really don’t have to be here. Please take Renjun to his room in your way out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Yes, I am sure" replied the leader. He sounded hurt, maybe due to everyone doubting him. He trusted his members but facts are facts and there was money, a lot of it, that he had placed in the case by himself and now was missing. And it needed to appear no matter how upsetting to find a traitor was, the system was setted and it had to be followed.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least, Jaehyun did not complain any more, and he nodded ready to leave. He felt like everyone threw a dart against him instead of just looking. Yuta kinda pursed his lips with compassion, belittling the situation as Jaehyun gently pushed Renjun out of the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He left without saying anything, because his throat was constricted by a well tied knot.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He guided the kid to his room and took the time to tuck him in bed and pat his chest. He felt the relief doing such, he was tired of pretending he was rude all the time, at least Renjun won’t judge if he showed some kind of softness. After all, he was a teen and Jaehyun felt both sorry and worried while thinking about what he was going through.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sleep well... and Renjun, i don’t think you consider me as an older brother or something to listen to my advice, and you have reasons, but just in case imma say… whatever happens don’t go to Taeyong’s studio tonight, uh? It’s not a good moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay… what’s going on?” asked Renjun, sitting up again on the bed and dismissing that vibe of tranquility that Jaehyun was searching for. Those weren’t the natural conditions in     which a teen would just stay quietly in bed waiting for sleep, was it? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The truth is that Renjun was managing the situation pretty well, like, he didn’t cry or make a fuss in front of anyone. He was just there with a rather absent attitude but who was going to blame him for that after sending his brother to court. “It has nothing to do with Sicheng. It doesn’t, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not your business, but no, it’s not about your bro”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, it looks bad from here, tho. Did you guys lose something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I said it is not your business.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But listen! If it’s about money, I can help. I was bored this morning so I was taking a look around and I may have seen that briefcase you were talking about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No lies, Jaehyun was curious about that, maybe he didn’t want it to show up, maybe he preffered going home and sleep but somehow, a little piece of sneaky information was a great gift to consider. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a black briefcase like covered with leather… I saw it, I saw this guy with the…bossy vibe taking money away from it”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop inventing, Renjun. Taeyong won’t do that, it’s not his pattern of acting”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was, maybe, a very twisted and complicated answer for a kid so young, it was a very analytic way of seeing it but it was true and Renjun didn’t seem like a helpless person at all. He was, indeed, using the information he had in his very own favor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun could picture anyone but Taeyong doing such a thing. Well, maybe not Yuta either since he had a sense of loyalty somehow and ironically. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not Taeyong”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Taeyong is the boss here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Taeyong is the strawberry head, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah” the eldest couldn’t help but chuckle at the comparison of Taeyong’s pink locks with the summery fruit. “Taeyong has pink hair, and he is the boss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m talking about the other one. You know? Super tall. Black hair, short in the back, long bangs in the front.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There it was, the key he was looking for, in front of his eyes. He didn't match the description with anyone that he met there, it was totally new for him, his existence, his range… anything. If the chinese kid was telling the truth then, as he considered when he arrived, Taeyong was not the leader. But at that point, that wouldn’t make sense for him. Taeyong was the one giving orders, pulling from everybody, all the members called him his leader and his boss. Jaehyun was sure about it since he was part of that collective too. Maybe Renjun was just too bored inside the base by himself and he started making stuff up toentertain himself messing with them, told Jaehyun to himself. He couldn’t leave a kid mess with his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But why are you telling me this, Renjun?” he asked, interrogating him and trying to take some useful information from it with the techniques the police used to interrogate suspects. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because… because of that money, you took my brother away. I don’t want to make it be in vain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heck. That sounded like a noble reason, for deciding if he should believe him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What else do you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kid pursed his lips watching how his words had value. If Jaehyun’s eyes were shining with that much interest, that testimony was really worth it and that scared him, because after all he was kidnapped inside a basement. But he had to continue using it in his favour, what else could he do? Not leave his brother behind, that… never.  “Hmm? Why should I reveal all my secrets to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh c’mon… freaking dynamic of the mafia sticking to the kid’s mind, that was the last thing to add to the madness Jaehyun was immersed in. If he wanted to play that way, they would.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I know where your brother is” Renjun flinched hearing those words. Jaehyun’s ability to negotiate with the worst cases was developing and also becoming kind of sadistic. “And I am the one keeping him safe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He is alive?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“B-but what do you want to know? I know little about this…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know his name? The boss’ name”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I just saw him taking the money and then he disappeared behind that door”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Door?” the question was more for Jaehyun himself than for Renjun, because he was starting figuring it out finally. But fortunately, he answered to that too, without being asked </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The double door at the end of the hall, on the second floor.” That was making sense now. “You believe me right? I’m not making it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you better not. But you know what… this must be a secret, okay? Between us two only.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun resumed his walking out but it kept being interrupted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jaehyun”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you tell Sicheng that I am alright?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun didn’t have the capacity to find a way to tell him where his brother really was, the mess that kid had got them into, or that he didn’t have a chance to notice that Renjun was gone in the first place. He just nodded and left, giving Renjun some type of pillow made of hope to hold on. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Jaehyun arrived home, it was almost 6am. </p><p>He was tired and his nose was the center of a relative pain that extended to the rest of his head, due to the punch he got at the fight in the Casino. Yet he wasn’t in the mood to sleep, he was too awake with a rushing adrenaline from all the incidents that happened in the day and thinking about a tone of things.  </p><p>First off, what Renjun told him earlier. Believing him or not, there was no doubt that the poor kid was not making up stuff so complicated, he even gave him a solid description and a   reason. So, in extension, that meant someone, an insider, was considering rioting against Taeyong. And Renjun’s confession was revealing, yes, but it wasn’t the only thing to worry him.</p><p>Taeyong seemed to be reaching the high peak of his patience and Jaehyun was fearing the consequences of that. He wasn’t quite sure of the limits he could trespass to quiet down the extended feeling between his lines that he was losing his right mind.</p><p>Also Doyoung’s suspects over Jaehyun and Ten indiscriminately positioning against him were not any better facts to think about. </p><p>And then, he realized.  </p><p>“Jaehyun” said Taeyong at the base “You can go home now, because this going to take all night and you really don’t have to be here”</p><p>He blinked in disbelief unable to recall, or better say, unable to discern what was the trigger that Taeyong needed to drop the “newby” nickname and start calling him Jaehyun. When did he do it? When did he do something important enough for owning, finally, his own name? Whatever he did, he did it without thinking twice about it. </p><p>He didn’t hide the smile he got suddenly, anyways, no one was watching back in his room. He was free to act as pleased as he wanted and so, he felt like he got the key of trust he was craving to get from the “strawberry headed” leader.</p><p>Nevertheless, Jaehyun had to give more attention to this incognite, he chewed on that question.</p><p>He thought he was lucky and successful, he gave those titles to himself that night because, from all of the members of the group, he was the only one sent home. He recalled it again, Taeyong said “and you really don't has to be here” because he had no doubts about him and he knew that no matter what the other said, he won’t be called out for a betrayal.</p><p>Ironic.</p><p>He, finally, truly, got Lee Taeyong, the leader of NCT, a mob that was terrorizing the city of Seoil to believe in him and his complicated lie.  </p><p>He breathed, feeling that his debt with Taeil was starting to disappear, like a load going off his mind.</p><p>And in that moment he started erasing weights off his shoulders and being a trustworthy member for the mobb’s leader, he thought, maybe it was the moment to play his very own cards. To stop limiting himself to Taeil’s -very few- indications to survive and start using what he gained by his own hand, working his ass off in that sewer for morality. </p><p>He decided, then, that he should discharge his original idea of going to the police station to  ask how Sicheng and his case were going, and just go to the quarters and tell Taeyong there was something fishy going on in between his own lines. He had to know who this guy was and why he was putting sticks in their wheels. And Jaehyun knew he had to start with tact and inquire into the whole thing before jumping to a pool that might be empty. He fell asleep with that idea and although he got the smallest amount of sleep hours he ever had, he made his way to the mobb’s base at noon. </p><p>He found Doyoung at the front door, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, smoking like some average manager on his lunch break if it wasn’t for the fit of grey hoodie and jeans with his purple hair. Jaehyun scanned him searching for a clue of what happened last night but nothing was clear. He really had no way to tell if the bruises on his face were a mere side effect from the night before or if he had them previous to that. </p><p>“Hey, Dons.”</p><p>“Wassup?” </p><p>“I don’t know… you tell me. How was that yesterday?”</p><p>“Honestly? Unfair” </p><p>Suddenly his desire to continue the conversation left him, since Doyoung seemed to shut up after his harsh statement clearly directed to the youngest and his free pass to inocente. Jaehyun didn’t want to ask furthermore and so, he resumed his walking. </p><p>“You came to see Taeyong?”</p><p>“Yup”</p><p>“Ha…” half a laugh and half sarcasm, Jaehyun did not understand what was that. He just got pissed, because who wouldn’t be with a person throwing all that attitude to him.</p><p>He wasn't the one to blame for any of what happened, Taeyong was the one to take the decisions not him, he only followed what he asked him to do.</p><p>“What’s your problem?” </p><p>"Nothing. Just call us if you find him. Because we can’t."</p><p>"What?" said Jaehyun "He is… gone somewhere?"</p><p>"Bitch you bet he did. Last night he was throwing his tantrum to me and Yuta, you know, you were kinda there <em>at the beginning." </em>Doyoung highlighted the fact of his early leaving again with not so subtle emphasis.</p><p>"Eventually Yuta just lost his shit and bored us with a story of family and unity he is the only one who believes and all those 'Taeyong we have grown together'. Really… I felt like I was in church. And Taeyong was so done and pissed he basically told us to be, and I quote 'fucking careful of what we do from now on because his tolerance is counting down and with red numbers' then he said we could fuck off and that’s it, he smashed the door behind him and we haven’t seen him since then. I mean we weren't expecting him to go away but I guess it was that or punch one of us. This morning Lucas came to me and told me that he had been looking for him to give him his monthly load of ammunition or whatever and I was like 'no, man I don’t know where the fuck he is and i kinda don’t want to come across him right now'. Listen I have barely slept 30 minutes today, I’m not in the mood… so i don’t know, newby, if you want to do the searching it’s on you. Why would you? Your hands are washed after all"</p><p> "Well, you think this is my fault?"</p><p>"I just think it’s not mine. The rest means shit"</p><p>"Wow" Jaehyun’s eyebrows couldn’t be more furrowed, his jaw clenched as hard as his fists were closed. He would have punched Doyoung in the face right away, he was making him sick. But he chose his priority a while ago already. "Key, fuck you too."</p><p>After that, he turned, and walked away.</p><p>He was going wherever but that cursed base, maybe even try to find Taeyong. Because at least he could give it a chance, not like that bunch of…rats.  </p><p>Doyoung stood in his place far from caring about Jaehyun’s outraged expression. So what if he was vexed? He had clear that he wasn’t going to run after Taeyong’s ass, he was already a functioning adult, let him save himself alone. He sighed, done, watching Jaehyun become more light headed by the hour and go wherever Jesus lost his sandal because of some  special eagerness he had for being perfect in every damn task.  </p><p>For all, inside the base other matters were going down fast and decisive like cold rain, sealed away from the ones that diligently did their individual work at the lowest floor of the quarters like little ants carrying their food to the ant hill. </p><p>Ten came in the studio slipping through the ominous double door, with the soft agility of a cobra, wriggling across the room. </p><p>His presence was impossible to ignore because his perfume, despite being cheap, was enough to drown everyone who wasn’t protected behind the metaphoric crystal of the high standing. With the nimbleness that was proper of him, he did a tiny jump and sat on the mahogany table, where he crossed his legs comfortably. To anyone else it would have been palpable that that was not the first time he standed sitting -or laying- on that table. </p><p>He waited patiently until the cold leather chair that was hidden behind the desk turned around revealing the mysterious figure that owned the room. That owned everything. </p><p>"Have you called me?" He blatantly said in the middle of blowing a round pink bubblegum. Johnny showed a shine of a smile, elegant enough. The bubble popped with an emphatic sound. </p><p>"Yes. I have something for you, you know? A little job for you to do"</p><p>The corners of Ten’s lips went up in an irrepressible smile as his eyes followed Johnny, boarding the desk to get face-to-face with him. His proximity was an unusual pleasure to enjoy.  </p><p>Sometimes things are undeniable to the human senses, as for example, the gracile pose Ten had adopted on the table and his special effort to look specially seductive. Call it being   professional or call it being biased. In such a case, Ten was much more biased than professional.</p><p>"What do you want?" The taller boy landed his eyes over Ten, whose words came out in a tremulous whisper, full of untold propositions. </p><p>The curtains on the big windows were closed, filtering the sunlight outside and making it come in more warm. With this atmosphere, Ten’s mind was away, lost in his own fantasy and unaware of how Johnny’s following words would be far from his first idea of why the boss called him so suddenly.  </p><p>"Kill Yuta" his lashes fluttered rapidly and Johnny knew that, despite his lukewarm expression, Ten felt that request like a cold bucket of water thrown over his expectatives. And he did not care that much but he had to explain himself, for the best results "That motherfucker… he is getting in the middle all the god for saken time. He is bothering me and I want him gone. What, Tennie? Surprised?"</p><p>"Not really" he said trying not to sound like a choking child as the taller one creeped his hand over his throat "You always wipe whatever that bothers you off. But why him? I don’t think he…"</p><p>"I know he didn't steal the money. It’s about other things" </p><p>"But... Why me?… for killing someone… Taeyong…" </p><p>"No" he said absolutely demanding "Exactly for this job I need you and only you. I need your…" Johnny recreated in his pause.</p><p>"My?" muttered Ten without any sound on the ghost of his lips. </p><p>Johnny smiled to himself, he wasn't even trying that hard to get him, he could do even better. He run his hand down Ten’s chest with all the implications he could attach to a caress. It was a silent promise of paying his favour with more than money and a "thank you for your discretion", it was a golden ticket to being awarded with blinding pleasure.</p><p>"...loyalty"</p><p>"Loyalty" repeated Ten behind the boss, grazing a chuckle. He wanted to laugh it off but he was unable. Then he turned his gaze to the side holding a dilemma. "I am a lover… not a killer."</p><p>"Yeah. I know. Except that this is not a suggestion. It’s an order" and immediately after this sentence, the boss was already pussing Ten, who let him do his thing, until his back met the noble wood of the table. </p><p>By instinct Ten parted lips when Johnny leaned over him. This scene resembled another situation and triggered some kind of blurred up memories on Ten’s mind. </p><p>"I am sure that you can figure out how to annihilate a person, isn’t it?"</p><p>Ten was about to let out a gasp but he preferred the way in which it got caught by Johnny’s kiss. He didn't let him answer just yet, he knew how to play that game and so he caught his lip between his teeth and then kissed him with an avid vibe, lapping his tongue in his mouth and dripping a taste of bittersweetness. </p><p>That was really troublesome, he had to take the job or either become another of those easily liquidable bugs that molested Johnny. It could be Yuta or it could be him but someone had to go. Ten settled his target in some place of his brain and then pushed it aside for the moment and wounded his hands into Johnny’s hair, tugging from it, deepening an already deep and wet kiss, making the eldest know what the answer to his request would be, already. </p><p>Johnny let him recreate on his mouth for longer time and he pulled back only when he was certain of Ten being mesmerized and craving his body, to hear him say it out loud. </p><p>"Yeah... boss"</p><p>"Hmm, I'm delighted of hearing that, babe" </p><p>Johnny gave a indulgent smile to the boy lying under him. He kissed his cheek, his neck, his chest and the way down to wherever his imagination told him to go.  </p><p>"Johnny"</p><p>"Tell me"</p><p>"It was you? You took the Odalisque’s loot with you?"</p><p>"Me? Nah…" he said with a dark smile. "Never. This is a family and we don’t put the others in trouble."</p><p> "Sure…" </p><p>Well, Ten told himself he was not the one to blame. </p><p>If being kissed is persuasive when Johnny is the kisser, imagine how inspiring was when he gets to make you moan.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After 5 missed calls Jaehyun understood how stupid what he was doing was. Of course Taeyong wouldn’t pick up, if he wanted to be alone he was an expert in hiding. Still, he felt  disappointed that the leader ignored him so deliberately, since he was assuming that nothing bad happened to him. It was pretty obvious that Taeyong could survive by himself, in almost any situation, the bodyguard play from the other day had been a mere caprice of his as a leader, kind of a way to show enemies how powerful and idle he was in his spot that he could afford the luxury of having someone to do dirty stuff in his place and sacrifice his life in his behalf for a part of his glory.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun, then, tried to figure out another way to reach him and, so concentrated on this he was that the sunlight outside went off without him noticing how the hours passing. Yuta also seemed like he was waiting for Taeyong to came back and tell him something to do, even if it was a text he would have compelled, but now, in the base, they two were just having a boring season of                 checking if all the inventory was on its place after the monthly supply.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“7mm Remington Magnum, 10 of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Check”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“56 boxes of Remington Magnum bullets”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Check”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Long distance rifle” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Check”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“9mm Matilda shotgun… whoa I used this one a lot in the past… anyways, two of them”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Check”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The repetitive task of looking through the shelves for every weapon in their basement was,at least, so empty, automatic and desperating that it let him room to distract himself from the missing presence that let everyone hanging by a thread. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucas was behind them, sitting around the table in the armory with his feet crossed on the table and quietly arranging the bullets inside of his Punisher’s chamber. The clicking of the  bullets being arranged in the clip accompanied Yuta and Jaehyun’s swinging across the room like they were dancing to an static music.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“30 boxes of Matilda bullets”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Check”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“15 fire grenades”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Check”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“6 tanto point knives”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... not in check”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha-ha, very funny, Jae” said Yuta with a tired voice and proceeded to mark the line with a  tick without caring about the rest, making Jaehyun to quickly move his hands in denial.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I'm serious. There’s only five tanto knives here” Yuta huffed and approached the shelf.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He joined Jaehyun, looking to the hanging knives and, indeed, witnessed the emptiness of one of the hangers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… weird. I guess Taeyong took it when he left” he shrugged his shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, he is a medium distance killer”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both Jaehyun and Yuta turned to the arms trafficker behind them. Lucas was tall and hardy, a tanned boy with plump limps and friendly smile that was right there just playing around with the clips while his denim jacket was down his shoulders and his hair slicked back with gel shone a little bit under the white light of the basement halogens. He also shrugged his shoulders with simplicity, like brushing off the importance of the sentence</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” said Yuta vocalizing his doubts over the topic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucas carries the count of the weapons we use” said Jaehyun to clarify things for Yuta and, basically, for clearing his own mind. The eldest had never stopped to think that he had a modus operandi, he just, you know, shot. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, when it comes to the leader he uses…” Lucas walked towards the shelves and pulled out a large chromed silver handgun “This one. Like, literally this one. It’s an Elephant Killer, it delays between shots but its damage is… uff… outstanding. The leader is not the most accurate shooter of the lines but he is slick enough to use this and kill someone in like… two or three goes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jesus fucking christ” murmured Jaehyun getting goosebumps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine, fine…” cut Yuta “So where the fuck is the sixth knife… man, why does stuff keep disappearing? I'm deceased. I swear for my mom’s name that…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone suddenly had to shut up, obligatorily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even Yuta stopped the trail of complaints flowing from his lips in the spot when a loud thud sounded coming from the upper floor, echoing in the basement and making the weapons they were counting shiver slightly with the vibration.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck?” breathed Lucas out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A second noise, similar to the previous one, sounded, louder this time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuta looked at Jaehyun and so did Jaehyun, who looked dead serious back at Yuta. The door collapsed upstairs, subsequently there was an outburst of screaming and raging muffled by the walls of the basement. Nor Yuta or Jaehyun had time to spare, they ran all the way up the stairs in a few seconds, followed by Lucas who, despite his main work as weapons dealer, was part of the group and could also manage to fire those guns, if the case required it.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What they found on the main floor was already starting to be bloody, the white tiled floor had some random stains of crimson colored liquid. Doyoung, who was still going around when the other boys left to the armory, was crouching behind a knocked down table, holding his bleeding arm and with his gun in his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuta received this scenery with round eyes. Nonetheless, he was fast sticking his body against the wall, avoiding any chance of being hurt. Then he pulled his gun out and, let’s point with deserved admiration, that he still had the time to grab Lucas’ shirt and practically drag him back, keeping him from carelessly walking uncovered into the scene.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The entrance of the base was a square room with a front door and only too exits, the hallway where Jaehyun, Lucas and Yuta came from and the other hallway, that was literally in front of the first one. It was like a continuous hallway but in the middle it had an open space that worked as a receiving room. The advantage for them was that the attackers would have to walk all the way from the front door to the beginning of the hallways at the back of the room to have access to the rest of the quarters. It was a way to defend the building easier, thought Jaehyun immediately, analyzing the battlefield.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, they were considerably troubled if someone broke into the NCT building. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A piece of the wooden table flew off near Doyoung’s head, ripped off by a rapid bullet from the other side of the room. Doyoung bit his lips in tension, considering how risky it was to peep       out from behind the table to shoot.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on!?” yelled Yuta from his hiding place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d </span>
  <b>love </b>
  <span>to know ‘bout that too!” shouted Doyoung back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I came here, for the sake of revenge!” added a third voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As unbelievable as it was, the voice was unknown for everyone and that meant that he was an outsider. An outsider daring to go into the NCT base was wild, and more with the situation they were having lately. Anyone that knew what that building held inside and still went in thinking they could make it out alive was very optimistic, suicidal or just plain arrogant.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun adventured to peep from the corner a little bit to look at the speaker. He barely got to see anyone before another bullet nailed in the wall that was covering him. He too was hiding behind one of the sofas over the ‘reception’, but he was dark haired and had almond-shaped eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And unfortunately he was not alone.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any clue?” asked Yuta. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyung shook his head in response “He kinda looks familiar but I don’t know why.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay” said Yuta raising his voice again. “Who are you? What do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Dong Sicheng and I want my fucking brother back! You bunch of sons of a bitch, he didn’t do anything, just me, let him go!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung’s face of extreme annoyance represented the mood that invaded everyone when they heard such declaration. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except from Jaehyun, the undercover police just felt a dizziness on his mind and the troubling of his heartbeat. Of course his face sounded familiar, he had seen him in the police’s profiles from the day Taeil arrested him for drug possession and public disturbances. He had specifically told Taeil not to release Sicheng from the police station, he clearly asked him to keep him there for longer for everybody’s security. What was he doing? Was he playing around like everything was a kid’s game or what? Like Doyoung had said, as if all meant shit? It was his own life what he was betting for Taeil to close the case and he wasn’t even able to consider his recommendations? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Damn, he sure went pale, and even more sure that he was thankful when Yuta took the air in and exhaled with burning patience before talking.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fucking fine. Really fucking fine. Jaehyun, please, go back inside and put the chinese kindergartener away… I don’t know what to say just… take him. I got your back.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun was relieved that it was him the one sent to take care of Renjun, so without a word he turned over his previous footsteps and ran to the dorms hoping that Renjun’s curiosity had not a chance to pop out at that moment because of the noise going on in the hall. He better not see that Jaehyun adulterated the information about Sicheng as he pleased and for his own benefitbeca use that would be immense trouble, the kid was no stupid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He prayed that the fear of gunshots was bigger than his will. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I suggest something?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuta was not in the mood to cope with the younger’s elucubrations, his neurons were running twice as faster than the normal. They needed a plan and Taeyong wasn’t there for them, they were caught with the guards down. He felt utterly stupid.“No, Lucas, you cannot”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But Yuta…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up, please I… What are you doing!?” hissed Yuta watching Lucas take a rapid look over the corner. He looked back at him with a childish smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This Sicheng guy… he is holding a Sig Sauer P938... It’s semi-automatic and its magazine can only contain 7 bullets each time you charge it. Counting with the times he fired since we have been here and considering Doyoung’s bleeding arm, I would say he is down to four bullets. Make him shot four times more and you have the precious time he takes to charge it again for taking him down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You machiavelic kiddo…” said Yuta grinning towards Lucas, who, once again got to surprise him with that unusual audacity. “ Now the question is… how do we get him to shoot? Against what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucas hummed reflecting about their options, but it was unnecessary when Ten hopped into the battlefield, armed pretty much with his overconfidence. Well, and a pistol too, but he sure was overconfident. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucas grinned. “Mr. Black Cat comin’ thru” he joked in a low voice while Ten ran from the other side of the room, coming down from the opposite hallway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stepped in the entrance room and slided across the floor like a child playing outside on a winter morning when the roads freezes and you can skate on the ice. Meanwhile,Yuta counted the decreasing bullets of Sicheng’s gun in his mind.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had the companion of two shots behind him that never really reached his body, since he was swift, he hid for a few seconds behind one random tree they had lying around the entrance in a big pot and completing his zig zag across the room, Ten ran to hide with Doyoung behind the table, losing one of his own bullets on the way. Due to that, there was a high pitched whine                  somewhere, where the bullet nailed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jaemin!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sicheng, quick as a fox, moved from his spot to the contiguous row of couches where they supposed the other guy, named Jaemin, was hiding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without coming to an spoken accord, everyone started shooting at the same time and target. It wasn’t even a gunfight because the shooting was all made from the same team, even Lucas brought himself to the hunting season. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that the other side had many resources to fire back anyways, that battle was clearly a lost game for them from the beginning.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Man down” announced Lucas for everyone to hear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A remanse of tense silence invaded all the presents, letting them hear the lonely and metallic sound of Jaemin dragging Winwin’s gun along the floor towards himself, leaving a sinister rail of red lines over the tiles behind.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bullet he had left didn’t last that much in the chamber, he shot it towards Ten in the stupidest movement he could have done. It was stopped by the wood on the table with a relative facility. He tried to shoot again and found the charger empty, just like Lucas said it would  happen. Then the empty magazine fell on the floor but it was late already, he was too slow doing it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take him!” said Yuta loudly. Jaemin ran like a wild cat through the door. “Take him, take him!!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten and Lucas, like springs, jumped to chase him passionately. One clear thing was that no good would come from that boy getting to escape from them after the whole battle. One of the rules for them was if you see something you can tell it, and if you can tell it you're the number one potential victim. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile Yuta put the gun apart and took his phone out. He called Jaehyun who was already opening the door to Renjun’s room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young kid was all curled on a corner quite nervous about the racket down there.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yuta?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You took Renjun away from the base?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not yet. Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lock him down in his room!” the urged tone that Yuta used made Jaehyun immediately close the door under Renjun’s blank look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is everything okay, dude?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. Close his door from the outside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay it’s done” said Jaehyun agitated. Renjun softly knocked the door from the inside like asking what was all about. He ignored him and started walking away “Anything else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, come down, please. We have a dead fucking body sprawled on the hall” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was not a worst situation to happen at that moment with Taeyong missing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As much as they tried to be organized, without Taeyong everything was messy and everyone was aware of it.  He wondered where was he, if he was okay… if he was alive… if everything happening was all part of the same nightmare and the leader had also found his end with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun came to the hall again, the purple haired boy was still behind the table, leaning on it with his eyes closed and with a bullet stuck in his arm, probably waiting for someone to go and help him with the pain, enduring it like he could. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know if going to him and help or what to do, since Yuta was standing on his feet, looking at the body lying in a sticky red lagoon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His Curiosity won over him and he headed next to Yuta to peek on the explicitly crude scene in the middle of the room. He looked way worse than he thought he would, drenched in dark red drops even over his face.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Holy… how many times did you shoot him?”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A few”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tension broke with the opening of the front door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten cautiously passed his leg over the corpse and skipped over him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, gross.” he murmured “Anyways, we got the other kid. In a better state than this one”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Effectively, Lucas came after Ten grabbing a boy with a light pink bowl cut. The tallest was pressing the cannon of his gun against his temple and rounding him with his other arm with strength enough for him to stay still. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten took the wallet that was showing over the pocket of his jeans. It was a square piece of leather, shiny and clean in the cut. It did not look cheap to belong to a friend of Sicheng and Renjung. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten extracted the first card he found. “Na Jaemin. August 13th of 2000… you are a Leo, how cute”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ten…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? I was breaking the ice…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do we do?” saidYuta.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As well as Ten and Lucas, he looked at Jaehyun, hanging. It was not a good moment to hold self-pity about the concept everyone had of him about being a good strategist so he just looked at Jaemin with his chin high. “Let’s put him in the basement. Tie him. And someone should go and help Doyoung, too, we had enough blood on this floor today.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The more the phone vibrated the more pissed he was. </p><p>All the notifications appearing on his screen had Taeil’s name on them, and beyond how that was molesting him for not being Taeyong the one who texted, the acts of the inspector meant he was risking throwing everything overboard. </p><p>Taeil betrayed his confidence, and Jaehyun accepted it plainly like that. At first, his reaction was all about feeling sad and frightened about how Taeil didn’t listen to him when he told him to hold Sicheng back but then it turned into pure irascibility. Due to him Sicheng was dead, Doyoung was hurt and he could have been any of those. With every text that showed up he got more and more convinced that Taeil had zero preoccupations about him being discovered. Did he not trust Jaehyun to do the right thing by himself or didn't he listen to anything he told him?</p><p>At the twelfth message he was officially mad, and he felt the urge of throwing the stupid iphone out of the window but it would be both incriminatory and weird to Yuta’s eyes.  </p><p>The eldest of the pair was driving through a landscape surrounded with growing wild plants. Jaehyun knew where they were, he had been there one time the police assigned him to pick up an accidented car from the river. It was located on the periphery, so it was not a bad idea to go there to make a dead person disappear, actually. Because the water was dark with the pollution coming out of the city and the river was deep enough. With all the weight they attached to him he would sink like the Titanic and, counting that he had no family but  Renjun… he would be very hard to find. </p><p>Yuta was humming this stupid Radiohead’s song playing on the radio but honestly Jaehyun was not paying any attention to it, more than hearing Yuta singing on the back of his mind, he was just lookin out the window in silence.  </p><p>"Your mood today makes it seems like I'm going with Taeyong, anyways" the other boy chuckled but moved by a reflex, the thing did not make him laugh at all, it was his fakest smile in like forever.  </p><p>It was true that Taeyong was always silent and lost either in the landscape or either something else during car rides. And honestly, a lot of times they were not in a car too, he had a pale shine of gloom.  Jaehyun suddenly tasted the bitter feeling he must feel, when he did so, in his own flesh. </p><p>Maybe he assumed from the beginning that Taeyong was unmovable and cold when all that he was thinking was that he wanted to be alone and take a shower to detach off him the ugly sensation of being dirty and sticky with other person's blood and culpability. By only thinking of Taeyong being so troubled inside and by himself, far from comforting Jaehyun, made him feel worse. He couldn’t contain his distressm and interest about the subject anymore laced with a certain sympathy. </p><p>He wanted to burst and let it out. </p><p>"How did you meet Taeyong?" </p><p>"Uh? Taeyong?" said Yuta despreocupate, dropping his singing hobby and maneuvering in between the hollows and bumps on the unpavimented way they were going through. "We were classmates"</p><p>"In high school?"</p><p>"Do you think I went to uni? Of course it was in high school."</p><p>"You were really young, then. You have known each other for a long time".</p><p>"Yup. We were both sixteen back then. We became friends god knows how. You know how students work at that age, you have a classmate that matches with you and you are suddenly         homies. He was my best friend" he said. And after making a short pause he added "And I guess he still is"</p><p>"And how… I mean, how do two high schoolers end up doing this type of work together?"</p><p>"Well, I said once that I would like to study chemistry but I didn't mean 'hey fam, let’s cook meth!' so I guess it was a misunderstanding” he laughed but it lasted two seconds, because his pupils became darker. He was laughing off his own drama but Jaehyun’s serious face wasn’t lifting the mood at all. He cleared his throat. "I don’t know, Jaehyun… my mom died and my family had always been short of money. I felt bad and I started to get into a lot of messes and trouble and… it’s not that I dragged Tae with me but he kinda stepped in to help me out. He was… he <em> is </em> caring. At that time we thought it was a good idea to play like that but now I know it's all my fault. One thing leads to another and so on and so forth… I think if it wasn’t for him I would have been Sicheng a long time ago, thrown dead in the trunk. At some moment we passed the no return point and realized we were at a standstill. He has always been smarter than me, anyways so  I never complained with how he got to be more… influential than me, if you get me… </p><p>"Yeah. That he has the lead "</p><p>"Yup"</p><p>Well, Jaehyun was not so sure about that leading part of hin, lately. </p><p>The eldest stopped talking there, even though it was not the end of the story. Jaehyun understood that asking him further wasn’t the occurrence that best suited any of their emotions. </p><p>The car started slowing down as they were already close to the shore of the river. Jaehyun couldn't believe what he was about to do but it was pretty clear that he couldn’t back off.  </p><p>When Yuta finished parking the car, they reminded there for one minute or so, the eldest sighed and shook his head dismissing the wrangle going on in his mind due to the conversation with Jaehyun. He was too experienced to cry a random guy’s death at that point. As he stepped out from the driver seat he gave a look to Jaehyun who also was untying his seatbelt to do his work.  </p><p>"You have a crush, dontcha?" the question ran over him. </p><p>He held his breath shutting down a mumble. There was Yuta holding the door open, waiting for him to jump off to help him throw a corpse into the river and still with all it seemed like a trip to the lake with friends having sentimental moments.  </p><p>Not even himself was sure about what answer to offer so he just made another question instead. "You think so?" </p><p>Yuta titled his head a bit like assimilating the whole plot. He huffed and shrugged his shoulders. "I have been there, dude. So I don’t know, maybe you can have better luck than I had. Now please can you come here, I want to end this. I want this boy to sink into the river and never come back to me"</p><p>Really? He expected him to digest all of what he said in that one sentence so fast and also came down to complete a murder? It was unreal…  </p><p>His phone went on again with the shaking and the emerging text bubbles on the screen. </p><p>He counted sixteen texts in total now. </p><p> </p><p><b>[Taeil Hyung]:</b> are you ignoring me?</p><p><b>[Taeil Hyung]:</b> Jaehyun</p><p><b>[Taeil Hyung]: </b>seriously, Jung Jaehyun </p><p><b>[Taeil Hyung]: </b>please, answer i am worried</p><p> </p><p>Worried my ass, thought the undercover police. </p><p>Stupid bootlicker, words don’t count when your actions are so contraire to one another, when everything you do is put your so called best friend in danger. A friend, and more if you go around saying that you consider him your best friend, would never do such a thing, friends listen to you and help you out.  </p><p> </p><p> <b>[Taeil Hyung]: </b>Jung Jaehyun! </p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun finally stepped out of the car, almost kicking the door open with fury in his way out. He passed next to Yuta who was dragging Sicheng’s inert body out of the trunk and eyed him curiously, watching the youngest one stand on the edge of the shore to finally toss the device in the dark water that extended ahead.  </p><p>"You okay there?" </p><p>"Perfectly" answered Jaehyun. Then he dropped all his troublesome thoughts, pussing them aside for a moment to lend a hand to his partner. He passed his arms under the poor murdered           kid’s armpits and lifted half of his weight, allowing them two to finally take him out of the trunk. "Let’s end this" </p><p> </p><p>*** </p><p>The shower was in vain. He could use all the water on the planet Earth and he will still feel unclean. But at least he was entertained under the water flow, because he proved it could be worse. After having the shower he did not know what to do with himself better than go around the house and think. </p><p>He had to do something with Renjun, and he had to see what to do with Jaemin, and he had to take care of so many things... and all that he could get in his mind was Taeyong.</p><p>It had been almost two whole days since he last saw him and, on top of that, he disappeared when he was about to discuss that turbid topic with him. When the fight broke in. </p><p>What if he was...?</p><p>Jawhyun was sick of waiting but the boss, however, seemed to read his mind no matter where he was. </p><p>The doorbell sounded loud across the house. Jaehyun felt ecstatic and tense because he was not even a little bit convinced that it could be Taeyong. But fate got another opinion for him as the later appeared behind the door when he opened, with a shadow casted over his face for the sadness of one more day in the dirty cesspool that was his conscience, with many wounds sprinkled over him and tired that they won’t stop opening to bleed again. </p><p>“Taeyong! I wasn’t expecting you” He said trying to ease his loud tone as his words were said. </p><p>He <b>was </b>expecting him, he was waiting for him and he was desperate to see him or hear his voice... or really anything that implied him, which should have been the first warning alarm in his head. </p><p>He didn’t answer yet, he just walked in the house like it was his own and, with the same attitude, he let himself fall backwards on the white sheets of Jaehyun’s bed. Jaehyun peered his leader fulfilled with curiosity brought by the incognite of why he was there at this time. </p><p>No, phooey… he was worried. </p><p>He was happy that he appeared because something was lacking in his absence. And he said “something” like an undefined thing because the other theories about why he was missing him like that were much more difficult to admit, being who he was. </p><p>Taeyong looked up to him from the bed and let his lips part, shining under the poor light of Jaehyun’s lamp back there on the nightstand.   </p><p>“Jaehyun Jaehyun Jaehyun…” </p><p>His desire to hear the leader calling him by his actual name was supposed to be quieted already but it won’t stop feeling good for him. Three times in a row was an abuse of his   debility and Jaehyun wasn’t sure at that point if he did it on purpose.</p><p>Yuta’s question echoed in his mind and made him nervous… more nervous. </p><p>“Taeyong?” Jaehyun spoke with dignity and determination and he still felt like he was laughing at him when he chuckled.</p><p>“How did we end up this way?”</p><p> Jaehyun shrugged his shoulders totally dumbfounded “What way?”  </p><p>Taeyong let out a sigh and hooked his fingers in the loops of Jaehyun’s trousers pushing languidly towards him. That pants, Taeyong always thought they looked like they belonged to stupid wonk, but Jaehyun pulled them out good. </p><p>His brain refused to work so well, anymore, or do the maths to understand what was going on, so he let Taeyong talk. "You are not asking me seriously, right? You are just pretending you don’t feel it too. But I’m tired of faking it.... So come here, pretty, make me yours."</p><p>"Uh…" Jaehyun coughed trying to ease the alarming facility in which that simple sentence seemed to destroy his entire sanity. He looked down at Taeyong who somehow managed to lie on his bed and was standing on his elbows pretty sensually, looking back at him. "I don’t know what are you on right now but I think you’re trippin’"</p><p>"I’m not trippin’" </p><p>"Are you drunk?"</p><p>"No! C’mon... mister sheriff of the lands…" Jaehyun paled automatically as Taeyong named him that way.  He was about to make the question, parting his lips for it but he sortly replied "Yes, I know". </p><p>Oh god. </p><p>Since when? </p><p>His heart almost jumped out of his chest. He knew and he was there with a crooked smile painting his face and his eyes always reflecting that particular insolent behaviour. He could pull out a gun and shoot him down in a matter of seconds, Jaehyun knew he was able to do it, and he was aware that he had said gun with him at that moment. That Elephant Killer that Lucas told him about and would kill him in less than three goes. </p><p>As close as he was, one bullet for success. </p><p>"C’mon… don’t you tell me you believed that I was so easy to fool, that would hurt my pride…" He chuckled in a low tone that was giving Jaehyun the worst goosebumps of his entire life. But he was doubting where they came from, since he wasn’t sure if they were out of the fear the other boy caused on him, he even doubted that he was afraid at all. Taeyong pulled harder from the material of his pants, it was crazy, a complete madness but Jaehyun stepped towards the bed with hesitant steps until his knees hit the frame and he was all the close he could get to it. "Naive. Why do you think I am where I am…because no one gets to play me. It must have a perk to be this ill…"</p><p>"You are not ill" Jaehyun heard himself saying such a thing, getting surprised since he didn’t plan to let those words spill. He was acting with the automatic mood, like he lost all his senses and let them behind because of Taeyong only. The latter, for his surprise, was also shook with his words and his big eyes had a sine that made him suddenly look like a cub when he gazed in a certain way.</p><p>Before he could notice it, he was crawling on the bed, knees falling on the mattress as he was looking directly into Taeyong's eyes. The person he was supposed to arrest… wasn't looking like a criminal to him at that point.</p><p>"Yes I am ill, you know that I am ill. I scare you, for sure, you are scared of me, scared that I could kill you. Right now"</p><p>Jaehyun felt the way his very own oxygen went out his lungs. And it was at the sight of Taeyong’s face just inches away from his, shattering into a really sad boy with pink pale hair. The way he spoke next, in a low and secretive whisper was the last drop that his glass needed to collapse. "I am also very scared of myself. But you don't have to worry that I will kill you because somehow I can’t… Jaehyun, I can’t do it…" </p><p>The next thing to follow up was the most desperate, yet soft kiss ever to see. Jaehyun jumped right into it, holding his face and crashing against his lips that expelled a keen and small moan. He kind of felt like having Stockholm's syndrome, he felt like jumping off a bridge without the bungee. Counting further, Taeyong’s lips felt so good, it was nonsense that he, who was a serial killer with no boundaries, had such soft lips. It was something different from everything Jaehyun had before, something that made his curiosity transform into an unbearable urge oppressing his chest that impulsed him to kiss the eldest one harder. </p><p>And the worst thing that could happen, was happening, Taeyong was deepening the kiss and propelling the situation to go more passionate. </p><p>He was all up ons the younger boy and he didn’t know what on earth possessed him to be so invested into someone like him, but he had no way to deny that Jaehyun had him tied. </p><p>Taeyong backed up and they both had to look at each other for some seconds, in the shadows.</p><p>Jaehyun had wanted to see how the leader was when his mask fell off, but never he expected to hear it in the way he spoke to him.</p><p>"More"</p><p>After a click of his tongue, giving way to his self burst out, he pushed Taeyong on the bed all the way down. It shouldn’t be happening but none of them had the will to stop it.</p><p>"So that's the real you? A little too soft and tired to lead everyone" he said with his voice dropping an octave, seeing that indeed that made Taeyong bite his lips. He also shut his eyes hard as soon as Jaehyun grinded on his dick. "Oh, really? Lee Taeyong, you really like it that way?". </p><p>"Yes" he said with a trembling voice while the one on top kept moving his hips to slowly grind over his lap, with his legs at each side of his hips and dragging every movement to stimulate his dick "You pull out that temperament of yours and look at how hard it gets me".</p><p>"What else? This?" Said Jaehyun, putting his arms at each side of his head and leaning down to kiss Taeyong's neck, licking up to his jaw, his ear and biting over his throat, totally losing the trace of being collected or focused. Taeyong whimpered quietly, but did not move, leaving his hands resting upon the mattress while Jaehyun painted a purple circle on his neck. </p><p>"God, yes. Fuck me up, really. Don't you wanna fuck me?" </p><p>"Do you?"</p><p>"Yes. You are fucking hot when you are bit rude with me" </p><p>Jaehyun left his piece of art over Taeyong's skin and looked at him in the eyes, his hand brushing his pink hair back really soft and slowly "You are so pretty, Taeyong. You are not going to call me newby anymore, right?"</p><p>"No" </p><p>"Then, yes, I am going to love fucking you" </p><p>As he stated that, he didn’t know, but Taeyong’s blood rushed to his growing erection and emptied his brain, making it not able to function as the other leaned in to kiss his mouth, fast enough to make him feel like he was stumbling on eagerness and couldn’t follow Jaehyun. </p><p>He started pulling off his tee and then his pants, fondling his thighs with his hands, too soft to belong to a rough criminal. </p><p>Taeyong, up on his emotion, also palmed Jaehyun’s crotch without feeling shame when the material of his sweatpants tensed for the same passionate reaction. He smiled satisfied, letting the youngest lap his tongue on his pink nipple and bite it as he moaned to it, because his hand too, was busy closing around Jaehyun’s bulge and feeling it up, knowing already that it was big, as he liked it.</p><p>The undercover police groaned, giving a glance of pure lust and letting him pull off the sweatpants. </p><p>“No underwear when you are home?” asked Taeyong looking at the hardness of the other one slapping against his stomach just as soon as he pulled the pants down. “I should have grinded on your lap until you were that hard. What a pity”</p><p>“Let’s not lie, it would have worked” answered Jaehyun, letting shyness aside and sliding his hands down to reach Taeyong’s bottom started fingering him one finger that made him squirm just a bit. In a second he was putting a second one in to stretch him, and the first noise became a more clear moan of pleasure. </p><p>He was methodical and meticulous, he was a perfectionist in everything he did, since he was little, and so his fingers started working faster, going in and out fast and circling and stretching with the incentive of Taeyong groaning and leaking two thick drops of precum as soon as he touched the golden spot.</p><p>“That the police would fuck me one good day, I knew, but fuck, if I had known it would be like this I wouldn’t be running” </p><p>Jaehyun chuckled but put his hand away. He knew that Taeyong’s wine was trying to make him know that he didn’t like the sensation of emptiness at the middle of his heated way to orgasm, but it didn’t last long enough for him to complain, as Jaehyun took his own permission to be impatient and a bit sloppy and slam his dick inside him.</p><p>Taeyong kicked his head back, eyes shut with strength and body still prompted on his shoulders, as his lips parted with a soundless moan. </p><p>“Good?” asked Jaehyun, althought he had already discovered the kind of comfort sex that Taeyong was seeking for. The kind of thing that makes someone that is rough all the time and every day is an icicle, to feel upbraided. “Because I tell you that you feel amazing”</p><p>Taeyong smiled between breaths “Shit, I seriously should have come here first instead of wandering like a dog”</p><p>He felt each of the trust as they slid past his hole and, at each one, he let out a little moan. Jaehyun was not being overly gentle about it, and he loved that, rough sex was such a turn on. Finally he felt the end of Jaehyun's length hitting his spot as his walls clenched around him by instinct. </p><p>His other hand reached to fondle the pink hair boy's hard cock and began to stroke him at the rythm of their sex, stopping every so often to massage his balls too, taking care of everything. Taeyong could feel himself beginning to cum, not thinking in any moment to keep lasting longer, suddenly letting out a long moan an edging until he came in Jaehyun's hand. </p><p>"Ah, fuck… fuck"</p><p>He didn't stop thrusting, thought, searching for his very own release with too much eagerness to leave a speed up aside, and it seemed like the way he was making it, had Taeyong riding his orgasm and dripping even more.</p><p>It was so different to see Taeyong like that, letting himself go and be the one that gets all coy and faint-hearted, pushing back against him as his body twisted from pleasure. He was really beautiful, put on that way, and at the last moment the youngest held his thin waist pulling him more onto him to finally make Taeyong feel him dripping into him, as he spasmed to complete exhaustion. </p><p>He was out of his mind. Because they did not need a lot of thought, only his noises were filling from his lips, as if the night was loud enough out there in the city to quieten down what was shouting everywhere to be a mistake. </p><p>Maybe Jaehyun stripped from his limits when he stripped from his clothes to let Taeyong feel soft. </p><p>They forgot about everything, every little thing went away for once in Taeyong’s life. </p><p> And letting go like that felt extremely good. </p><p>It just came to be notoriously blameable to Jaehyun’s eyes when he woke up the next morning. </p><p>It wasn't even in the morning, the clock was already indicating 13:45. </p><p>He found Taeyong’s body- and no need to remark in which nudity state he was- thrown all over his bed, peacefully sleeping like someone who has never broken a single plate. </p><p>He needed to breath deep, for the sake of his nerves, and bury his face on his palm intending that that was of some use. Then he returned his eyes to the leader after a few seconds. It was like a thunderstorm going down his feelings that shook them senseless. </p><p>The policeman sighed. Rather than staying with his turbid thoughts he got up fast and went across every supply on the shelves of the bathroom. Even for himself it was difficult to tell if he was really searching for something in particular or just letting his nerves finally pop off.</p><p>Eventually, he managed to go back to the bed, sitting on the closest edge to Taeyong, holding all the proper items to disinfect wounds. Taeyong didn’t move a single bit when he put the towel impregnated in alcohol against the cut on his eyebrow, nor he flitched. The only change upon him was that he opened his eyes to direct an indecipherable look to what resembled to be the finest boy to ever put him on the sheets. </p><p>"How did you get this?" started Jaehyun after a minute, refusing to stay in silence anymore.</p><p>"Hmm…" Taeyong paused to yawn, coming out from his lethargy, and it took Jaehyun to the next level of nerves how he could be so relaxed about the whole situation. He might have forgotten that Taeyong copped with way worse things every day. “Have you ever been hit with a gunstock?” he chuckled at the younger’s grimace “Of course you haven’t …”</p><p>“And this one?” he asked, moving the towel to the cut on his lips, provoking Taeyong to blink and hiss this time. That was stinging like hell. “Average punch on the mouth”</p><p>That made Jaehyun loose and laugh “Average. Okay.  And what about…”</p><p>He shut up when Taeyong angled his head back to give him a free road to the entire collection of purple brushes coloring his chest like a furious watercolored sketchbook. It had no point, he already knew he did things that shouldn't have been done with Taeyong, and that there was no return, but it assaulted him more when he brushed his pink hair back proud. </p><p>“That was you, nothing less”</p><p>“God damn” Jaehyun got up from the bed again like a string when he heard his words. He wondered if the way he felt in that moment was what people feel when they are about to hyperventilate.   </p><p>Taeyong gave a sustancial look to Jaehyun’s pale back wavering between an epiphany of beauty and pure sadness. </p><p>“Don’t worry, Jaehyun” he said a bit sad and a bit shy, touching the purple circles of his skin and hiding them under his hand “I said I liked it rude. After disappearing for days like that I know I deserve it”.</p><p>“Since…” he stopped and took a breath trying to ease his heartbeat that beated loud enough in his chest to cover the sound of his thoughts. “Since when do you know? That I am not who I say I am”</p><p>Taeyong sat on the bed still looking at Jaehyun’s pale back sprinkled with small moles ever here and there. The image of him with a cold vibe made him want to be sincere to him and that was the most depressing point of the moment.   </p><p>“I suspected it when Doyoung brought you and I saw you for the first time. And sure about it…” he swallowed saliva expecting him to turn around. But he didn’t anyways. “When you told me not to call you a newby. You were so pissed off. That’s what made me put this… this kind of attention on you… telling me it was shit… no new member of this group would have spoken to me like that if…”</p><p>“Okay. Okay, I heard enough.” </p><p>It was the only thing he said, then he let his head hang and lost himself in the cold weather outside. </p><p>Taeyong pressed his lips in a line and waited, counting to ten and then to twenty. He had in front of his eyes the proof of how stressed Jaehyun was, so he reached one hand across the bed and caressed his back with the reverse of his hand.  </p><p>“I told you. You are scared.”</p><p>“No. I am… confused.”</p><p>“Because?”</p><p>“I can’t stop thinking ‘bout your reasons to not be shooting me right now.”</p><p>“And I wonder why you didn’t call the whole police station to get me as soon as I stepped through that door.”</p><p>“I am… no longer interested in selling you to the security forces.” At the same time he ended that sentence, Taeyong was pressing his lips on his shoulder “And everytime you move I’m less and less interested”</p><p>He felt the smile on his skin.</p><p>“For your information I am not interested into spill your brain all over the carpet”</p><p>He laughed and Jaehyun also did, thinking about how surrealist and crazy everything sounded.</p><p>He didn’t want to think about why Taeyong wasn't in jail already, he just wanted to be selfish and feel him now that he returned and then he spent the night loving him. He could take him and perhaps comfort him, show him a bit of care more and…</p><p>He stopped laughing suddenly and Taeyong looked at him, still smiling. His shiny eyes were questioning what happened inside Jaehyun’s brain to have that fast change in his expression.</p><p> “My house is the first place you came to?”</p><p>“Yeah”</p><p>Taeyong had no other option than raise his head from where it was resting at Jaehyun’s shoulder and look serious at him because of the face that he had on. Like if he was seeing a ghost instead of looking at him. “What?”</p><p>“Didn’t you call Yuta first?”</p><p>“No…” his whole expression was a scene by itself and Taeyong was violently dragged to reality again “Jaehyun, what!? Fuck… who is dead!?”</p><p>“Well, from our team, no one.” </p><p>Taeyong felt like smacking his palm on his forehead. Instead he just brushed his hair back again so fast and hard that Jaehyun thought he would pull his own locks off. “Renjun?”</p><p>“Almost. Sicheng. He came to get him and…we actually had to…”</p><p>Taeyong sighed, he could not believe that he left one single day and everyone went insane. </p><p>“Well, at least we can say that since he is dead he can’t bother us no more…”</p><p>“Yeah, no. He didn’t come alone so we took his friend as a hostage and we tied him in the basement and Doyoung suggested that we could… pin him down and make him speak about their motive to come.”</p><p>Is not that Taeyong preference was to end the warm mood he had since he woke up but it was, better said, swapped off his hands. He kicked the blanket and stood up from bed. Rushing, he started dressing himself. Such a quotidian scene in such a tragic situation. </p><p>The boss looked back at Jaehyun and moved his hands rapidly, putting pressure on him to go too. </p><p>“Move. We are going, now!” he said storming through the door as he used to do as per usual. As he walked away, Jaehyun, still pulling his clothes on, could still hear him grumbling in a low voice about how stupid was to play love games, that he was not meant for that.  </p><p>The course of the river that deviated the night before to let them have a little bit of self love and redemption was back and everything returned to its normal state. </p><p>And  for Jaehyun that actually hurt worse than it should have.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He did a titanic entrance in the basement, all he needed to do was open the door and yell at  Doyoung as if his life depended on it.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you are planning to do with that brat, stop it now!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was so sudden that even Ten gasped out loud, all jumpscared. Everyone turned around to face the boss as he walked in. The silhouette of Jaehyun sneaking from behind Taeyong’s body  and into the room was even more surprising for the presents. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung and Lucas backed off from their main task, which basically consisted in threatening the pink hair kid. Yuta blinked dumbfounded because no, a certain someone didn’t consider the fact of calling him and saying everything was okay, although they were apparently sparing their time joyfully. And Ten was only looking at them, smiling for the chit-chat and morbid fascination.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind all of the characters in this scene, tied with ropes on a chair and with his mouth taped was the kidnaped kid in question. Well, Taeyong, as the boss, had to admit that anyone did anything that he wouldn’t have done but if things were necessary on those days for NCT was clearly stating that no one was going to act out of his conditions and that he was the one giving the orders, no exceptions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, who’s gonna give me the details on this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All at once and once again, their eyes landed on Jaehyun but Taeyong shook his head with haughtiness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at Yuta, instead, and gave him a sign snapping his fingers towards him. “If you please” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was not a conditional phrase in his connotation, of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This fucker came in with Sicheng wanting to kill us all and take his brother with him. We liquidated Sicheng and took this one with us to interrogate him because we suspect this goes beyond the lil one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think y’all are? Detectives?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want us to kill him?” Yuta asked but he was genuinely confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gimme a good reason for him to be alive. Show me the real deal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ten just extended his arm and handed the wallet to Taeyong without saying a word or  messing up his appearance. The boss looked at him with severe eyes but he took the wallet, too, and started going across the items inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly he extracted a white card, raising his eyebrow, and giving Ten a look, then, one to Jaemin as he moved to where the hostage was sitting. The body of the kid twisted on the chair, subject to the terror, but Taeyong just pulled off the tape on his mouth off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaemin inhaled sharply when he had the chance of getting an oxygen he was almost lacking, which also led him to cough choking on its eagerness. When he finished with almost           dying by himself, he looked at Taeyong with wery pupils. Everyone shut up instantly and paid attention to the leader, coming back from who knows where to get things done properly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The silence could be cut with a knife.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong waved the white card that he was holding between his index and middle finger, the  golden engravement of a twirling intrincated motive shined under the lamps.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me ask you just one question, Na Jaemin” said the boss as Jaemin was still trying not to tear up in front of a mafia leader. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How wide is the monetary benefit of being Lee Jeno’s personal vassal”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t even try to ocultate it. As I am sure you already know,I have treated with Lee Jeno before and I know his company. Bonus information: I am not happy with him”. Taeyong just threw the piece of cartoline to Jaemin, emphasizing his knowledge about his membership with the Casino “Now just tell me. Why!? Why are you here!?”    </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shattered and started crying right away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doyoung rolled his eyes and sat down on the table ready to have a long ass interrogatory and eventually everyone thought it was a good idea and sat too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jae?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yuta furrowed at the shortening of his name pronounced by Taeyong’s voice because he was asking why or how that happened. Situation that developed to be more clarifying, as the boss turned his head back to face Jaehyun and the purplish love marks were revealed, peeking up from the collar of his shirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Taeyong gestured towards the shelves adorned with weapons in perfect display, except for those empty spots of things that were being used. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hand me a knife”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No no no!!” started Jaemin as he shook, especially frenetic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cool. Sing it then” warned Taeyong playing with the blade in his hands. “What did Sicheng have with Lee Jeno?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The drugs!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsk. You are telling us Jeno is a dealer? Like if he needed that” spat Yuta in a salty tone from  behind Jaemin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! Sicheng was the dealer…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And Jeno?” pressured Taeyong, tracing the edge of the knife with his finger as an ‘empathic’ gesture of coaction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaemin made a muffled sound similar to a cry, because he was somehow intending not to speak any further so he bit his lips having a mental fight with himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong sighed and hooked his feet on the chair, dragging Jaemin closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t bite your tongue”said the leader while Jaemin tried everything to avoid looking straight at his eyes “It hurts worse”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He makes the candy!” finally confessed Jaemin in fast words that almost superposed “Well, not him, but his father does. He... thought he could outsell you all and get the monopoly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bitch, what the fuck?” said Yuta vocalizing everyone’s thoughts at that point of the conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I swear it’s the truth. He thought with the right people cooking for him he would own the market. But you were too big already…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yo’ bitch you bet we are big I have been doing this and cultivating my fucking sales for years and this dirty old man wants to outsell me” said Yuta again slapping his hands against   the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Calm down” coed Lucas amused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to!” he said getting up and facing Jaemin like Taeyong was doing, crossing his arms over his chest and holding his anger there “So what? Huh? Jeno sent you that day to fucking sink me? To steal my drugs and sell me to the fucking police!? Answer me!!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Imma kill him!” claimed Yuta overwhelmed by the discovery. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really went for it and pulled his gun out pointing at Jaemin’s temple, only centimeters away from his face, making the young boy squint his eyes so hard that he started seeing white dots inside his eyelids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No” sentenced Taeyong making Yuta look at him darkly, still with the gun on Jaemin’s head “He may be useful for us” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He has been doing enough!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yuta i said no! He is a trade, period” he argued back and then he had a subtle smirk of amusement that Yuta was not precisely having. “It’s gonna be fun”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Someone is having much fun lately, no?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what? Jealous?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oookay, alright, that has been enough” interrupted Lucas clapping his hands before another fight could break out. “So what do we do, Taeyong? We keep him with Renjun?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great idea”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun kicked his own ass when Taeyong gave the affirmative answer. Goodbye to his plan of keeping Renjun apart. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yuta and Doyoung help Lucas to move him upstairs because I don’t want another riot in this base and I don't trust this kids. Especially Renjun. And read my lips Yuta, i said LOCK him down not SHOOT him down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He agreed still pissed but deep down acknowledging that Taeyong was right all over again.  They untied Jaemin,who did not fight back anymore as he was all invested on his cry, and raised him up from the chair taking him out from the basement with Doyoung and Yuta holding him and Lucas covering them both. They got lost around the upper floor and Ten was also ready to leave behind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ten…” said Taeyong smashing one hand against the door frame and blocking his way out the room. This action was not expected by neither the called one, nor Jaehyun. And this last one couldn’t resist to be attentive on the scene in front of him. Because it was no other but Ten the one who was about to get non pleasant words from the boss “... give me the knife.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun’s eyes opened more than the normal while he pieced things together but he did not  understand why it was happening. By the way, he was the only one with doubts since Taeyong seemed to be pretty sure about what he was doing. The palm of his hand extended towards the black haired boy, insinuant and severe, added so much tension to the air that Jaehyun wad finding more difficult to inhale. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the other side Ten was looking directly into the boss’ pupils and it was the first time Jaehyun watched him being contrary to Taeyong. It was giving him cold chills down his spine.  </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Which knife?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Definitely that was not the answer that did the best to please Taeyong. He was pissed. No, he was angry. Jaehyun glimpsed momentaneously to the spark of fire in Taeyong’s eyes before it completely ignated and blew off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grabbed Ten by the collar of his always tidy garments and pushed him against the wall hard enough to make Jaehyun feel the rumble that shook Ten’s body and took the air out of his lungs with a sonorous hiccup.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon after the boss’ free hand traveled under his jacket and yanked the knife out, pressing it against his throat almost as easily as he immobilized Ten in the first place. He was not joking or giving him a warning anymore, he was pressing seriously onto his neck as a thin river of blood flowed down his skin and kissed the edge of his white shirt doing a dramatic contrast on it.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Taeyong… please…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” he said with raw sarcasm “Do you want me to put the knife down? Which knife tho?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me explain…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. You think I am here to listen to your fucking lies all the time and i am not!” Although Ten was resisting and pussing back as hard as he could, Taeyong was winning his territory and the wound increased in profundity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know it’s not on me!” Ten tried to defend himself, starting to whimper for the effort  and the pain and probably anguish too. “Johnny…he told me… to do it. Taeyong!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boss was sick of him to the core of his stomach, it was like venomous acid that he felt everytime Ten begged him like that, and he hated so much more when he mentioned Johnny. There was literally nothing over the Earth’s surface that he, at that moment, hated more than Johnny.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taeyong hauled the other boy to the floor. He fell down with an ugly thud and hissed  low as he tried not to be a mess all over the place. His elegance was gone in this case and Jaehyun, standing still under the door frame and watching the whole scene dead silent, found it normal. Because yes, Lucas wasn’t wrong when he told everyone Taeyong won’t kill someone with a knife but he wasn't wrong in his management of guns either. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The light reflected cold in the silvery surface of the weapon and Jaehyun took a breath in and deviated his eyes from the scene for the first time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew what was next and could not resist it. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You are just like him” said Ten on a last breathy statement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shot invaded the place with the unmistakable sound and the smell of gunpowder before the perfume of iron in his blood joined the equation. Nothing else, Ten did not let a single clamor out, he had no time for it. He was fulminated in the very act.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the youngest boy returned his eyes to the main stage, his heart broke a little. For his pink haired partner, who was burying his face on his palms and suddenly snapped back to Ten even though he couldn’t hear him anymore.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span> “I am not! I am not, you fucking son of a bitch!”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There are some points when you realize you can’t do anything to save someone. They won’t listen because they are so obcecate that they don’t want to step out of the dirt or, even if they listen, the advice won’t make it through their day because the obstacle is too high for them and you can’t pull no more. Jaehyun knew about this but still, the feeling of impotence was so strong he started tearing up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The water was warm streaming down his face and he hated it so much. He hated it because he was not able to stop crying and the worst part was that he felt useless to the core. Not useless as police like he may have been but as the boy who wanted fervently to take Taeyong back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because he was starting to have feelings for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you crying?” said Taeyong, discovering all his apprehension and having a imperious urge to get close to him. Why did those feelings of deep appreciation had to be attacking him now, it was not the moment to stop and contemplate how many stuff pressured on his heart when he stared at Jaehyun. It was an awful moment indeed.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think there’s a lot of dust in this room”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Taeyong…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh?” he felt like those two words were too heavy. Jaehyun wanted to repeat in his head that he wasn’t meaning anything as bad as he was thinking, he told himself that Taeyong was trying to help and not saying everything had to end there, but there was something really sour about him asking Jaehyun to go “No, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let it go, okay? Don’t overdo it. Wait for me outside”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His ears were listening but his heart and his body were refusing to execute the order. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He approached Taeyong with a hesitant move but ended lacing his arms around him and leaning in to kiss his lips, an initiative that the boss was not waiting for, but that he suddenly decided it was well welcomed. He hummed in the kiss pleased but he had to overcome himself and puss the youngest away from him, barely having the will to do it when he tasted the salty flavour on his lips.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop, not now” Jaehyun wasn’t convinced about this petition so he just kissed him again, he had the feeling that his kisses were getting softer everytime and that Taeyong let him do it too keen on that softness. It was driving him insane. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have to talk”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, if you keep it like this, we do”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eventually that moment to talk arrived, but the conditions that came with it were not the ones that Jaehyun pictured in when Taeyong returned the kiss to him in the basement. </p><p>At that moment, his thoughts were mostly on Taeyong, and not on the amount of death filling the air.</p><p>Yuta almost freaking fainted when he came down, for the sound of the shoot was difficult to ignore. He saw all that blood starting to paint the floor tiles and entered the room very worried to just find Ten’s dead body lying on the ground with too much pathetism to now describe it. Secondly, Taeyong holding his gun that was still warm from shooting. And thank god he did not come in time to watch the whole romantic display, because the first two things were just enough to have him horrorized.  </p><p>He basically yelled to Taeyong the question that also Jaehyun had in his head, that why had he done that.</p><p>Yuta was holding on the door frame and having another quick peek over Ten before looking at his boss with nothing but true doubt and fear. He really looked like he had lost his right mind.</p><p>Taeyong rubbed his face as if his head was hurting with so much trouble and explanations. He said he had to, just like that, as a only explicative sentence. Jaehyun could understand it because he watched the whole scene pass by his eyes like a movie and he saw Ten’s attitude of clapping back and fronting him, but he understood Yuta’s mistrust as well, being the executor of a colleague's annihilation.  </p><p>“He was about to kill you, Yuta!!” he replied too heated and done with the matter to keep hiding stuff here and there. </p><p>The color on Yuta’s cheeks faded and left him with a pale tone. The boy thought his friend and boss had totally lost it and that so, instead of asking him further or searching for an explanation, he finally gave up. He gave up on trying to find an explanation to Taeyong, right in the spot. Totally unaware of how the pink haired boy commited a murder just in his behalf; and before Jaehyun could speak to confirm what he was told, he walked away sad and  kind of lost.</p><p>Ten wasn’t the best partner but he was his friend, somehow. </p><p>Taeyong hung in there and watched Yuta go. Anyways, he was throwing a random fit that he would get over sooner or later. In some parts, that was better because they were needing him upstairs because the drama wasn’t ending there.   </p><p>Renjun happened to recognize Jaemin slightly when he came in dragged by Doyoung’s strong arms because his face was somehow familiar to him. He knew he had seen him before, maybe in his house some time with his brother, but he had to think hard to ubicate him in his memories. </p><p>Then, the familiarity turned into realization and the bombarding of one million questions, battery mode, about his brother started even not waiting for the others to retire. </p><p>“Where is Sicheng? Why are you here? Is he okay? Does he know I am okay?”</p><p>In such a situation, Jaemin resumed his sobbing with devotion, and rang all the alarms inside Renjun’s mind. </p><p>“What? Why? Why are you crying now”</p><p>“I am sorry I didn’t want any bad for your brother …”</p><p>“What what happened to him? Please…” he started weeping too, because quickly, it became obvious to him that things were no good. Renjun was fearing the worst of the worst. “Please don’t tell me he is dead.”</p><p>“I am so sorry” sobbed Jaemin together with Renjun when he fronted the reality. “I just…”</p><p>“It’s your fault!”</p><p>Doyoung did not expect anything of what happened there, next, especially not Renjun crying but still replaying with violence to the loss. But indeed he jumped on Jaemin like a wild tiger or domething similar, and he had to run to both of the students and try to separate them before Renjun could accomplish his desire of ripping his face off.</p><p>“You and your stupid boss! Ever since my brother listened to him we have been going downhill!!” </p><p>“Jeno just wanted to help!” replied Jaemin starting to raise his tone too and fighting back.</p><p>Doyoung in the middle was having trouble containing them both and had to give a reapproaching gaze to Lucas so he would step in to help him.</p><p>“Help!? By condemning him to a life selling drugs to criminals!? He just wants the money, you capitalist pig!! I hate him and I hate you, you are nothing but his slut!”</p><p>Lucas could not help but start laughing while pulling Renjun back and finally separating the two kids away enough for them to not reach each other.  </p><p>“Repeat that!”</p><p>“Slut! You are a slut! And I hope they kill you like you did with my brother! Anyways if you go to jail you won’t make it through, since the only thing you know how to do is s-”</p><p>“What about you!? You can’t even hold yourself you childish little brat! And if it wasn’t for taking care of you, your brother would have never called me back. But guess what, he did! He was broke because of you!”</p><p>“Shut up both of you!” Ended Doyoung. “I am specially pissed today since your fucking brother left a gift for me before going and gave me a bullet in my arm okay?”  </p><p>“And I am sad he did not score a fucking headshot, bitch!”</p><p>“OKAY” he said fully done. Then he handcuffed Jaemin down to a random tube that connected with the heater of the room and left him there to do the same with Renjun at the other side of the room. “If you two can behave you deserve to be locked down. God, I want to kill myself today, I swear”  </p><p>And with that he smashed the room’s door closed and let Lucas taking care of them… or something.</p><p>It was more about sitting on a chair and witnessing all the shit that Renjun kept throwing to Jaemin’s face and watching out that the mess that he was at that moment wouldn’t find out a way to untie himself and destroy Jeno’s associate. </p><p>That was all that Lucas could do, because he was just the arms dealer who got involved in the shit, anyways. But that’s how NCT worked, once you step in a mess you are in and ready to either sink with it or get out with the rest.</p><p>All the way across the city, in a whole other panorama, there was Jaehyun waitting for Taeyong to finish having a shower while he was in the living room, drinking a cup of coffee.</p><p>He knew that coffee was not of his taste and that it was too bitter but he was having it anyways, just as Taeil used to do when he was really anxious about doing something. It was a pretty bad concept, though, because the caffeine was hitting his nerves harder than the idea of asking straight to Taeyong’s face what was going on. Maybe that’s why Taeil was always on a rush to do everything and fucking shit up, he thought bitterly, putting the mug down. </p><p>At least he already had the key for losing the fear of Taeyong, being that he became so mushy when Jaehyun looked a bit rough or a bit nurturing in his direction.</p><p>He was enjoying the aroma of his drink, that would rarely disgust anyone, because c'mon, coffee smells so good and warm, it makes places feel comfy. Joining this sensorial ecstasy, Taeyong finally showed up and sat down on the chair that Jaehyun had in front of him. </p><p>There he was, with his clean hair and his clear skin, and his tidy clothes that Jaehyun lent him. He had a trail of plasters on his hands matching the one that he had on his face. He was truly beautiful, Jaehyun was struck by it at the moment he started looking like an average boy and not like... The Godfather.</p><p>What an indiscreet hope of having the power of changing him he had momentaneously, only broken by the deep breath that Taeyong took in. </p><p>“How do I even start?” he said without waiting for the other boy to ask him and saving him the awful moment of asking himself.</p><p>“I don’t know. Maybe trying to explain why you killed Ten?” in any way that was a recrimination, it was a sincere and soft made question born of condensed curiosity. He opened the files that had on the table and went through the information written with his elegant handwriting and notifying the reports about each member without an apparent shame of showing all of those obviously incriminatory stack of papers about him and NCT. “You said he wanted to kill Yuta. Why?”</p><p>“Well, that's a harsh way to begging. Yuta… When we were in high school Yuta was having some difficulties to go through the payments of… pretty much everything. One day I was on my way to pick him up, because we used to walk to school together. But that day when I knocked the door, he sent me away without even opening, just like that. Like now, he was not  the type to wash anyone away without an explanation first, and since it was me it felt even weirder. I was worried and suspicious, because he had been acting weird and evasive, and I got super persistent over it, so he ended up opening the door for me. Happened that he was… black and blue. I really, really, panicked when I saw him in such a state… because it was shocking for me at that time. I started tying things together so after a lot of talking he confessed to me that he had been doing ‘bad stuff’, you know? The kind of stuff we do now. He was my best friend and…”</p><p>“I know” said Jaehyun interrupting him, in essence .</p><p>“You know?” said the leader smirking shamelessly. “Have you been chit-chatting about me with Yuta? I thought I would be the only one going under a personal police interrogation”</p><p>“Egocentric…” said Jaehyun, but then he went back to being serious. “The thing is that I don’t find the correlation between this and why Ten had the intention to stab his back. Ten is against you?”</p><p>He was already flipping through the pages of the files, searching for Ten’s section to check the information again when Taeyong said with a chuckle “You are always so impatient. lf you don’t let me explain how you want to know about me? Actually, it’s very hard to say out loud that your best friend almost gets murdered to send you a warning call”</p><p>That was, indeed, hard to listen for Jaehyun. He had the need to cough slightly to loose the knot in his throat. </p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Jaehyun, look at all those files you have about me all over the table and check them out again. Does everything piece together easily?” the policeman slowly shook his head while looking into Taeyong’s eyes, without the need of checking the papers again.</p><p>He saw the shine of his gloom deep into their blackness and the delusional thoughts made a try to swallow his heart and feel the absolute compassion for him. </p><p>He wasn’t so bad, was he?</p><p>“You have the question about to roll off your tongue.”</p><p>“Ten mentioned Johnny…”</p><p>“There you go, so freaking smart you are almost… disgusting. You are dying to know, don’t you?”</p><p>“Who is he? I mean… it seems like he does not exist at all.”</p><p>“Oh boy, he does exist. And he is almost like the devil. He is the boss.”</p><p>Jaehyun titled his head to a side in doubt “I thought you were the boss”</p><p>The corners of Taeyongs lips were lifted by his fragile smile and he shook his head a bit. </p><p>“I’m not going to say that you treating me like I am is not… attracting, but for your sake I have to say no.”</p><p>“But you are in charge, right? Everyone assent to you”</p><p>“That is, in part, true. But I am the leader, not the boss.”</p><p>“What’s the difference?”</p><p>The difference is that he rules and I get my hands dirty in the meantime” he sighed and rested his chin on his hand. “When Yuta and I started developing our ‘business’, Johnny was too far ahead of us. He was older than us and had more money than us, more everything than us, especially malice. Yuta and I came up with a group that was, more or less, functional, we started getting ourselves off the hook and collecting some money. Easy, dirty ass money. Then Johnny came and promised even the moon to us… when with his help we made twice the amount we used to do by ourselves we trusted him and thought that maybe we wanted someone that powerful with us, so I became the leader of NCT, and I thought… that it was it. That I was on the safe spot, the winning part, and everything would be easy from then on, and we’ll go through it and get out of it. It would be okay if I could keep both Yuta and me alive, and then, if I could keep all the team alive. But eventually I saw it…” </p><p>“What did you see?”</p><p>“That a capo does the dirty job and the boss benefits without exposing himself to be killed, and that’s how it works”</p><p>That sounded a little bit too familiar to Jaehyun. </p><p>“It’s not like in the movies, I was stuck in hell. He was not with us, he owned all of us. Have you ever seen Johnny? Do you know how he looks?” </p><p>“No…”</p><p>“If you ever had fired a gun against NCT, who would be dead?” Jaehyun fell dead silent but that was enough answering for the context. “You see?”</p><p>“But still… I have a doubt about the story. Why is the warning call for?”</p><p>Taeyong chuckled quietly “You see… Ten was his favorite hoe in the world, I don’t know, they had a fucked up bedroom game that I can’t understand, he just obeyed him straight away. I guess he had feelings for him. However it was, Ten always chooses his side, no matter what, so when Johnny needs something foxy he sends him. To me, it was an ultimatum, to tell me that I am stepping out of the lines. Johnny thinks I am becoming weak and too tolerant, so he doesn’t think I must…drive my power to that shore. He needed to tell me to back the fuck up and he did it the best way he knows… with pressure. He has been doing it for a while now and gradually bullying me but I guess this was the top notch.”</p><p>“So?” said Jaehyun creeping his hand across the table and lacing his fingers with Taeyong’s in a sweet gesture that reached the oldest heart.</p><p>It wasn’t too hard to imagine where Johnny's concerns about Taeyong being too flexible for NCT came from. All of him was a mess of worn out thoughts and health, he melted with the gentlest of the sweet blows.</p><p>"What’s at that shore? What do you want to do?”</p><p>“I want this to end”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Everything. All of this, I want it to fucking end. I don’t want to kill more people, I hate it, Iam sick, I am… going insane. Just directing a single word to Johnny was the worst thing I have done in my life. I doomed myself and I doomed Yuta with me. But you know what? I have been thinking lately that the end is near. If he wants to play I am going to play. Hard. This is the last battle in this fucking war and it’s gonna take me a lot but… if I don’t get to finish with Johnny’s tyranny I may want to be dying on the try. I rather lose my life than live like this anymore. Honestly I can't … I despise myself. I hate this life and…”</p><p>“Wait, no, you can’t do that!” Jaehyun panicked, getting up from his seat in a rush and almost hanging himself from Taeyong’s clothes when he got close to him. “Let me help, I may have a way to…”</p><p>“No, don’t act like I should be taken care of”</p><p>“No, Taeyong, listen, I want to help” </p><p>“You want to help me?”</p><p>“Yes. I want to help you, come on”</p><p>“Then go back to the police station”</p><p>Jaehyun's eyes opened wide as he looked at Taeyong. He shook his head convinced, that was the last thing he wanted to do. </p><p>“No. Please don't get into this mindset, Taeyong. I am tired of being tossed around, here and there to the convenience of everyone else. And besides I… think I might be into you”</p><p>Taeyong smiled pitifully.</p><p>He looked like he was about to cry once again, but he took the opportunity of Jaehyun’s pose, grabbing his shirt, to lean in the youngest and kiss his lips. He lapped his tongue in his mouth and tasted the vague flavor of coffee that perpetuated the feeling of being home.</p><p>He thought that he would really wanted to find a way to kiss Jaehyun and not feel like it was the last time, or that he was about to taste tears after it.</p><p>“I like you too” whispered Taeyong after the kiss, making Jaehyun melt and also die of pain when he saw his eyes collecting little drops of water on the waterline to finally plunge from his eyelashes “And that’s why I can’t do this to you.”</p><p>“Taeyong, please…”</p><p>“No! Please you!” he said tightening his fist on the police’s clothes too, and with his lips still gently grazing Jaehyun’s “I am pathetic and I will never stand myself anymore if I break you. You are my most favorite and beautiful thing I own, Jaehyun, and I don’t want to lose that”</p><p>“But returning would mean that I would have to tell ’em about you. I can’t just appear there and say I don't know…”</p><p>“I know that. Perfectly”</p><p>“Cool” said Jaehyun letting go of the leader and looking at him eye to eye. “But I swear to god I am going to take you out from there and you are gonna watch me!”</p><p>Taeyong gave him a long look releasing his hold on him. </p><p>He found cute that he, somehow, was so competitive and stubborn to think that he could make up everything, fix it up and save him from his deep hole of shit. </p><p>And he was also grateful that someone had a little bit of faith to share, he needed that, since he lacked it a lot. </p><p>“Jae, can I sleep with you tonight?”</p><p>“Everytime you want.”</p><p>“Well” he said snuggling against the other’s chest. “Let’s do it tonight and see if tomorrow comes…”</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A tone of perverse ideas retorted in Jaehyun’s mind as he stared at the place in his bed that was being used by Taeyong. His brain was a mess trying to decide what to do. At this point of the story, even discerning what was bad and what was good was complicated for him. It was like a mixture of both things, difficult to clasificate in his list of Do’s and Don’ts.  </p><p> Tell on NCT should have been in the bucket list, and in the first place of it, it wouldn't even make sense to miss that point, since it was his motive to have a whole new life made up, it was the beginning of everything. He traded everything to do so, and still, with Taeyong’s essence still floating across the room, it was not so clear that he would end sending the reports he had over the kitchen’s table. As much as he wanted to have a refuge in that fragrance, he knew it would dissipate eventually, and that the house would be back in its cold state when Taeyong was gone. In that sense, that house never felt like a home to him, it was artificial and impersonal to him, the only aspect that made it have a warmer memory attached to it was the fact that Taeyong decided to be himself just in that room. </p><p>And that was rivalizing with all of those supposedly obvious ideas because someone who looks like that, speaks like that and kisses like that couldn’t be a dark tone of his life. He tried not to think like that, but Jaehyun had always been a romantic at heart.  </p><p>He had an idea that started sprouting in his brain and becoming bigger by the moment, but it was kind of crazy. In desperate situations, desperate solutions, they say. Taeyong would have prohibited him to do it one thousand times but actually he was sleeping so… what a huge opportunity that would be.  </p><p>Jaehyun roamed his hand under the blankets in search of Taeyong’s fragile hands and took one on his, not having to wait a single second before Taeyong laced his fingers with his in his sleep. He carefully took him close to his chest and kissed his fingers softly. </p><p>“Taeyong” he whispered under his breath, checking that he was still knocked out in a sleep that made him look like the softest angel of the universe. He didn’t even flinch. </p><p>Then Jaehyun went across the drawer on his night table with his other hand and subtracted the main element of his plan all the quietly he could. He congratulated himself from bringing all of that reglementary police equipment when he moved. Not everything was stored there, because he barely had anything that could connect him with the police station, but he still had the  average gun, the tear gas and the handcuffs…</p><p>As he had to act fast and accurately, he mentaliced himself of his next chain of actions first, then took a breath and, quite violently he trapped Taeyong’s wrist inside the loop of the handcuff and closed the other ring around a bar, on the bed’s header. </p><p>The eldest one woke up, gasping like he was drowning in the middle of the ocean because of how drastic Jaehyun’s movement was but, being trained as a police officer, and being one of the best graduates in his promotion, it was easy to foresee his score of the maximum result, chaining him up before he could leap on him for a counterattack.</p><p>Jaehyun turnt the lights on to step out from the bed and that was exactly the gap of time that Taeyong had to take to assimilate all the happenings around him.</p><p>“Jaehyun” Taeyong gasped quietly, genuinely impressed by the interruption of his sleep and, let’s say it too, utterly taken aback. But that was just at first, then his black pupils nailed into his and sent a wave of adrenaline through his body like a tide, because he was fucking mad at him. </p><p>It was what philosophers called ‘seeing something sublime’, because Jaehyun was both in awe and scared at Taeyong’s gaze. </p><p>“Hell no! You won’t! You are not doing this to me! Jaehyun, you listening!? Don’t dare!!” </p><p>A month ago, the mere fact of Taeyong pronouncing the words ‘don’t dare’ would have stopped him in place, freezing him out of fear, but now things were not like that. He wasn’t the newby anymore, and he knew that Taeyong wasn’t the fierce wolf he once thought he was. He only was the pink haired young man that felt warm when he hugged him and moaned prettily on his bed. </p><p>He stopped and stared at him desperately fuss against his metallic restriction, trying to stop Jaehyun from sacrificing himself but it was late. He was buttoning his white shirt and his pants that resembled so much to what should have been his police uniform.  </p><p>“Stop it, Taeyong, you're gonna break your wrist” </p><p>The warning that the police threw to him sounded so unreal to the leader. Maybe he was just having febrile dreams because of an infected wound or something. It wouldn’t be his first time.</p><p>“I don’t care! What do you think you are doing!?”</p><p>“Well… I am your bodyguard. And as your bodyguard, my duty is make sure you don’t get killed”</p><p>“No. Stop this bullshit!”</p><p>Taeyong tensed the chain and extended his free arm, forcing himself, to finally grab the edge of Jaehyun’s trousers to yank him towards himself. Jaehyun stumbled and landed almost on top of him except from a space that was created when he sank his knee on the mattress. </p><p>Jaehyun could not believe himself when he glimpsed thatTaeyong was about to pull the cliché of the seduction trick on him but he approached his lips to his ear and whispered, pushing himself to the most obscenely sensual of his tones.</p><p>“If you want to do the police role-play, I can suggest another context to do it. I’ll let you tie me up too. Both hands if you want”</p><p>Taeyong went to reinforce his point, as his free hand traveled down his back and rested boldly on his ass. Jaehyun smiled to himself and caught the eldest inside a wet kind of kiss, as if something like that would make him forget about what he was plotting.</p><p>It was a good kiss, indeed, it was a pity that Jaehyun was busy with his own trouble to enjoy it fully, because Taeyong could even have it classified as one of the best kisses he ever had. He really wanted it to last, and his body felt triggered as well, with his blood warming up and his heart speeding up. Again he moved his free hand all over his body and sensed the curves on his thighs, his crotch, his stomach and lastly his chests before Jaehyun separated from him and his hands, touching every pocket of his clothes.  </p><p>“Very smart movement, sir” replied Jaehyun. “But you can touch me all you want, you won’t find the key. It’s in the living room’s dresser.”</p><p>Taeyong paled down while his beloved raised from the bed, finally securing the proper harness across his chest and the gun on its place. Following to that, he palmed Taeyong’s stuff till he found his gun and also took it with him because, number one, an extra gun is always welcome and second, in case Taeyong found a way to untie himself, he won’t be so stupid to go following after him without any weapon to attack.  </p><p>“Are you on your right mind? I am seriously talking now” said Taeyong in a way slower tone than before, as his hopes of getting off the cuffs faded.</p><p>He was not very sure about who he was seeing. He looked at the brunette, trying to discern which Jaehyun was he looking at. The policeman Jaehyun, about to go and front a criminal, or the other Jaehyun, the one that was about to go and fight for his pride.</p><p>Although he was hurting deep on his chest he felt some kind of way that pushed him to a need of knowing the answer so he made the question.</p><p>“Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to… deserve this…?”</p><p>“Listen” said Jaehyun huffing “You want to change how your life is and this is literally the opposite of what it used to be. You need someone to take care of you”</p><p>“I wanted that but not in this way! I don’t want to put you in this tesiture”</p><p>“Well yeah, and if I let you go… what do you expect to happen? I would have to go back to Taeil and the next hour you’d have several red spots on your forehead! So what? Call me selfish but you are also quite appealing for me and I don’t want to lose you like this either. And if you don't let me help you for the good way I have to take the bad way, so here we are, Tae”. </p><p>He finished speaking and collecting all the items he thought he needed at the same time and then he walked out having in mind that Taeyong would decorate his way out with an uninterrupted queue of complaints and curses directed to him and his brilliant idea.</p><p>He was concerned by the agitated tingling of metal against metal when he left the room because he really feared that Taeyong would break his wrist on the try of freeing himself.</p><p>“Shoot him to kill this time! It’s an order!!” Little by little Taeyong’s tantrum turnt softer and more anguised, he sighed letting his arm hang motionless from the header. “ And don’t die. That’s a plea.”</p><p> </p><p>*** </p><p>He walked into the base from the dark alley.</p><p>Jaehyun came in being even darker than the darkest shadows and so Doyoung and Yuta stared at him touching the highest peak of confusion that they have had in those two month of stumbling upon shit, as he sat down at the couch with a white shirt and burgundy vest as if he was the first capo of the group. </p><p>He cleared his throat with an overdramatic artifice to call on their attention.</p><p>“Guys, in the name of Taeyong, I am taking over all of this”</p><p>Yuta slowly got up from the opposite armchair, staring at him in disbelief.</p><p>"You what?”</p><p>“This is an outstanding mission that would make a change and mark a before and an after, so I hope that y’all can take it with professionalism.”</p><p>“I don’t think you can take over us” said Doyoung. </p><p>“Then join Johnny’s side. Taeyong has sent me to tell you you can join his cause or die with Johnny” Yuta sat down immediately again.</p><p>It was like if someone suddenly glued his lips together and he was not able to talk anymore, nor complain. Doyoung, by the other hand, and although he was also considerably overwhelmed, showed his personality of being cold blooded and he still managed to speak. </p><p>“So this is what was off… Taeyong is fighting against Johnny?”</p><p>“He is”</p><p>“And Johnny… he was making things hard for him on purpose, didn’t he? The money that went missing… Was it because of him?”</p><p>“Yes. He wants to erase Taeyong and he doesn't mind if we are on his way, guys. So I recommend you to choose a side wisely”</p><p>“Or? Will we end like Ten?” said Yuta with resentment. </p><p>“You will, but not because of Taeyong. It was Johnny who commanded him to end you, Taeyong just stopped him before he could do it, idiot. He tried to tell you”</p><p>“So this is a revelion” Doyoung said, like thinking out loud. Jaehyun nodded quietly. </p><p>“We could have guessed that something was about to happen. I mean, it smelt like shit from very far away. And I saw what happened with Ten… he had a neat hole on his head, as if he had no hesitation. Bitch”</p><p>“He asked for it” Sentenced Jaehyun making Yuta turn fast and look at him.</p><p>Jaehyun was not the type to say someone deserves to die, and Yuta knew that, so when he heard him said those harsh words, he was almost certain that something real and frightening was going on the leader’s head. </p><p>“It’s true, Yuta. I was there and I saw it. Ten stole the knife we couldn’t find, he wanted to slice your throat and he even stood against Taeyong because of it. He only shielded himself saying that Johnny told him he must do it, but Taeyong… he really killed him on your behalf.”</p><p>“He did?” said Yuta, finally releasing some words over the topic.</p><p>“He never stopped doing it, am I wrong?”</p><p>Everything here and there were faces of awful expressions.</p><p>They knew it wasn't a joke or a drill, Taeyong wanted to depose Johnny and, honestly, they were with him, because how could they stand with someone that pushed them to the borders until they were risking to fall. </p><p>Yuta felt nauseous thinking in retrospect and piecing together all the things that Taeyong put up with just because of Johnny’s fault. It enraged the shit out of him because he didn't deserve that, and Yuta, who was his best friend, allowed himself to forget that Taeyong never did a single thing to harm him but quite the opposite. He allowed himself to complain and complain about the leader's decisions, never trying to search for the reason behind them.</p><p>He nodded once, firmly, and stood up with decision, followed by Doyoung, with the same attitude. </p><p>“Then this is war. You in, Doyoung?”</p><p>“Hell yeah”</p><p>“Good” said Jaehyun as he viewed the fulfillment of his idea going down as planned “Where is Lucas?”</p><p>“Upstairs. Long story short, Renjun punched Jaemin on the face and called him a capitalist pig and a slut so I told him to watch them out.”</p><p>“Okay. Text him and tell him to come with us, please, we need him. And also…I don’t know how to put up with this question but… excluding Ten, do you know any other…?”</p><p>“<em>Prostitute</em>?” summed up Yuta. </p><p>“Well, yeah”</p><p>Yuta looked at Doyoung and Doyoung looked back at him, first with a blank facade and then, his expression changed gradually to an absolute deny. </p><p>“No. NO.”</p><p>“C’mon, Doyoung, it’s an emergency”</p><p>“No, you can’t ask me to mix Jungwoo in this, he… is not made to enter a crossfire and less when Johnny is at the other side” </p><p>It was kind of surprising to see the scene of Doyoung showing some sort of affection towards someone, and Jaehyun, very curious about this guy in question, hated to be in a situation where he had to break it for him because it was essential to have all the help they needed.</p><p>“And Jungwoo is not a whore, okay? He left that life behind”</p><p>“But he was!”</p><p>“I said no!! Just take any other bitch, in this work we know a few” </p><p>“What do we need him for?” asked Yuta to Jaehyun, in his way to look for a solution. </p><p>“We have to guide Johnny out of this building first, we don’t want to fight him in his own territory, and the NCT building is his, so we need someone to attract him and take him out”</p><p>Again, Yuta looked at Doyoung trying to convince him by his mere expression “He is the prettiest boy I know, Dons, and Johnny would never suspect of him. He is the more trustable one, too. We all are suffering, okay? Sacrifice something, dude”</p><p>“Listen, Doyoung” joined Jaehyun to the extortion and still even half convinced of what he was promising “He doesn’t have to be involved with the gunfight, we just need him to… stimulate Johnny a little to go out with him, just a bit, enough to put him where we want. Then he can say he is going for a drink and we attack when he is covered”</p><p>“Jesus fucking christ I can’t believe this… okay, okay, fine. I’m calling him but I swear for my mother if something happens to him I am going to cash back the damage with you”</p><p>“Nothing's gonna happen, shut up and call him” ended Yuta impatient by the mood.</p><p>As Doyoung turned around, grumbling and searching the number on his phone, Lucas made his entrance in the room with his particular expression of excited and optimistic personality. </p><p>“What is it, guys?” he started and then lowered his tone aware of the magnitude of the situation they were in. “We are really making a revelion? That’s kind of fucking cool, I mean… I don’t really get the entire problem here but i’m rooting for Taeyong, for sure”</p><p>“Okay, Lucas, I need you to do several things. I’m going to explain the whole operation to you and you are gonna pick the guns and materials we need to carry to do it right. And also… we should do this with Jaemin.”</p><p>“Jaemin?” said Yuta with a loud incredulous voice facing Jaehyun, searching for him to clarify where that insane idea came from. </p><p>“I thought the best place in this town for this operation is the Odalisque. Johnny won’t be suspicious about a high standing prostitute inviting him to such a luxurious place and it’s big and has places to hide when you pass the game room. I was there with Taeyong and I remember most of the field. Jaemin can walk us through the Casino easily and is our shield to go in, that’s why Taeyong wanted him alive. Do you think he would cooperate, Lucas?”</p><p>“He is scared to death, so yeah, I think he would do pretty much anything to not die”</p><p>“Perfect” said Jaehyun clapping his hands once, conformed with his own management of the situation and forgetting how fucking tangled and fucked up everything was. “If we confirm that we have Jungwoo with us, we are done with the first plan and ready to proceed to preparations. Doyoung?”</p><p>The purple haired boy sighed with his typical tired essence, hanging the phone and turning around to Jaehyun with a deadly stare. </p><p> “He is in. Let’s proceed.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the delay with updates, guys. I traveled to London to attend SuperM's concert and the trip has been a bit hard on me with the plane and stuff + seeing Ten live was a real real shock!! (he is amazing, guys). But anyways, back to posting.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Probably the best idea Jaehyun had all day was asking Lucas for help, because he diligently appeared with a black chromed van at exactly 7pm, just as he told him.</p><p>He opened the doors on the back, revealing a spacious place for all of the involved in the mission to get in and travel without being noticed, together with a dense stock of guns and diverse weapons for them. There was even space inside for them to get in and inspect the plan, too. It was, summarizing, even more professional than Jaehyun had imagined, judging by the outer look that Lucas had to him, ruffled brown hair parted in the middle and fit in some jeans with a plain white t-shirt and a leather jacket that had red patches of what seemed to be paint. Lucas was bright and intense too, and he had not the look of someone who could pull out a full plan of breaking in plus ambush. But, deep down, he had a machiavellian mind, apparently, that was what Yuta told Jaehyun and he was right, considering the turn out. </p><p>Still, if Jaehyun had to point to one or two flaws in there when the doors of the van were that… </p><p>“Lucas, I told you to bring Jaemin with you…not to tie both him and Renjun and leave them here!”</p><p>Effectively, there were Renjun and Jaemin, back to back and with his wrist tied together, in which seemed to be the most eccentric picture. Jaemin welcomed him raising his head and looking at him with his tired eyes, almost asleep leaning on Renjun’s back and, at the same time, Renjun was still raging mad.</p><p>“Do you know the fucking mess they can do if you put them together!? Definitely not carrying Renjun to this, we need a perfect aim”</p><p>“I know but, listen, it was impossible. This one insisted that he wanted to come and he really is venomous you must have heard him. I am sure his mom did not teach him those things I heard him tell me. So i said ‘fuck it’ and put him in because I was having a headache”</p><p>Jaehyun fixed his eyes on Renjun with sadness and hopes on the little one’s consideration to be lasting, but those were broken right after. </p><p>“You fucking bastard lied to me” Jaehyun sighed and rolled his eyes, putting up his mafia leader facade for the day. Just one more battle… just one more to be out of there and maybe save Taeyong’s life. “You said you’d keep Sicheng safe and look at what you have done with him”</p><p>“Okay, whatever. I don’t care if he wants to come, he is not going further” said Jaehyun way too serious for the tiny amount of conviction about that negotiation succeeding. </p><p>Renjun came to life when he heard this, letting out an emphatic growl as he shook against Jaemin’s back when he moved nervously. “Let me go with y’all, I can help.”</p><p>“Do you think I can trust you enough to even let you run around with fire weapons? No, sir”</p><p>“So you can’t trust people? Ironic since you are the fucking liar! I trusted you! You were the only one I trusted since the incident happened, and you used my trust as a fucking napkin! So don’t say you can’t trust me!”</p><p>“That’s not going to convince me. Nothing is going to convince me. This is a large scale  movement with a high level of difficulty and you think I am going to let you out to fuck it up. Forget it, Renjun, you stay here until we come back.”</p><p>“I am not staying!”</p><p>“Yes, you are. Lucas put him in the room again” </p><p>It was going to be difficult to get back to the communication he had with him, if not impossible. But sadly, the immense and loud fight Renjun had against Lucas when he carried him back to his cage again was not his priority at that moment.</p><p>It was, better said, Doyoung, that crossed the door with the companion of who Jaehyun supposed, it was the ‘infamous’ Kim Jungwoo.  </p><p>The guy in question was rather tall and yes, very pretty on his face, that had somehow a sparkle of tenderness, but hidden under his beauty and the locks of soft and straight hair that fell on his forehead, almost getting into his big eyes. By all means, he had great elegance, wearing some fancy shirt that was tucked in his dark blue pants, his posture was straight and correct.</p><p>He was also more than he had  expected, understanding at the moment why Doyoung had that apparent crush on the fellow, because as he saw him, he reaffirmed his confidence and believed he could make the plan work, because even if he had not a shameless and sticky attitude like Ten used to have, he had a special charm, too. </p><p>With those lashes, if he batted his eyes in the correct manner, he would make The Boss fall on the trick, and more with his aftertaste of innocence, he won’t see it was a trap.  </p><p>Jaehyun approached him to greet him and shake his hand politely because honestly, it was a very big favour to accept a mission so dangerous like sweet-talking to the guy that built the entire mafia empire and put a roof over their heads while also placing the tank of alligators under their feet.</p><p>And then kill him. </p><p>Doyoung received Jaehyun with a harassing gaze letting him know that he was still reluctant to involve the young pretty boy into all of that, knowing how the things could turn but, anyways, Jaehyun kept the situation in movement and shook Jungwoo’s hand gently.  </p><p>“Hello. My name is Jaehyun, imma be leading this mission. You must be Jungwoo… pleased to meet you.”</p><p>“Same” said Junwoo returning the shake with a smile.</p><p>“Are you up-to-date with the mission? Doyoung told you everything well, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s an usual trick, I have done it before. Even if it has been a bit since I don’t do it, I  still have the skill” he said and highlighted it with a cute wink that made Jaehyun smile and Doyoung look daggers at the undercover police. “If you knew how many times someone like me has to play dumb and act like the helpless baby with a crush to conceal that the delusional’s friends have paid the night stand with a stack of money…” </p><p>“Okay, so… Here you have this button. It’s a simple device” said Jaehyun sticking the tiny silvery circle under the reverse of Jungwoo’s shirt’s neck where it blended well. “It’s wireless and it'll send an auttomatic text to Lucas’ phone when you press it. Use it only when you leave the base so we can know Johnny has fallen for the trick and is ready to take you out. We’ll be leaving as soon as you go upstairs and wait around to not be suspicious but we need your location to plan with more accuracy”</p><p>“Understood, I’ll be going now, then” said Jungwoo wrapping up. </p><p>He fixed his hair a bit, gave himself a look in a tiny mirror he was carrying and then walked away, always with Doyoung’s eyes ghosting over him. </p><p>“Okay, Jungwoo took off, now everybody, get in the van, we are leaving. Doyoung, if you don’t mind, you are going to be driving, I need Lucas at the back.   </p><p>Once they all got in the vehicle and Doyoung started driving his way to the Odalisque, Lucas started his plotting. </p><p>It was quite extravagant when he came in, all dressed up in a suit and with his hair slick. All of them, including Yuta, had to dress up nicely to enter the casino and don’t be a spotlight of attention, but it was so weird to see Lucas looking so neat that they were shocked with his handsome and appealing look.  </p><p>By the way, he extended a white roll of paper on the small table which happened to be the Casino and his gardens’ map. It was a detailed architectural plan that not only indicated the rooms and their shapes, but also had the exits, elevators, stairs and even windows signalized.              </p><p>Lucas took a pen and pulled the hood off with his teeth, then threw it aside and circled one of the dozens of doors that the map showed. </p><p>“This is the main entrance, as you know. It consists on a wide glass revolving door”</p><p>“Johnny is going to enter through it” affirmed Yuta without hesitation, being the one that had known their subject for more years. “He likes to show himself off and more if he has a candy like Jungwoo…”</p><p>“Hey!” Doyoung claimed but Lucas shhed everyone to keep pointing spots on the map.</p><p>“Okay, if he is going to come in from the front, we need someone in the main game salon. He has to be discreet and put on a show so he can warn us when he arrives.</p><p>“I’d say it’s gonna be you, Lucas” said Jaehyun considering that none of the others would be a good choice. Yuta was too impulsive and Doyoung didn’t look like a rich young man addicted to slots, so none of them would blend with the scenery well. </p><p>“Fine. I am not that good at aiming, anyways, so I’ll let you guys do the honors. Then, after I enter the scene, Jaemin should guide you through and lead you to this room” said Lucas tapping the pen in the middle of a square in the map. “It’s a luxury bar, only for selected clients. Johnny has a membership with the Odalisque and I am sure he would like to enjoy his Jungwoo party with an extra shot of heat. With Jaemin you won’t have any problem getting in, right, Nana?”</p><p>“No” whispered Jaemin.</p><p>“You see?” assured Lucas “Nana will get you a table and you can wait for Johnny to show up with his candy to treat him for a drink. And for Yuta and Doyoung, I brought guns with their respective silencers. I’m guessing that Johnny has his proper alignment of bodyguards, so you have to take them down first before reaching him, or they’ll shoot back.”</p><p>“That’s why we have Jungwoo for, too” added Jaehyun “In the moment he wants to go deep with Jungwoo they should start having some distance because I guess he wants… intimacy. Unless he gets off to people staring at him, but I am not counting on it, specially. So when they are moving around you two can attack. The more sly you act the better, remember that. Yuta… be very fucking careful” said Jaehyun getting the memory of him smashing the plate on Renjun’s cranium. </p><p>“I got it, I am not a kid, I know that this is extremely important. For me, for us… for  Taeyong… anyways where is Taeyong? Is he not joining the mission at any time?”</p><p>Okay that was a very normal question. </p><p>But the worst part is that Jaehyun had not prepared himself to answer it. He had measured every single thing of the plan while on the bed, sleepless night running through, but he had forgotten about how incoerent it was for the leader to not show up. In his brain, he got the vision of the Taeyong they didn’t know, chained to the bed before he left him there alone and his stomach felt like flipping. </p><p>He had no excuses, he just got a hold of his acting skills and stuck to them tightly. </p><p>“Well, I assume he has a plan in parallel but I just…he didn’t tell me exactly what was his part about”</p><p>“What?” said Yuta disappointed “What do you mean he didn’t tell you exactly?”</p><p>“I followed orders, I am sticking to what he told me, not about what he planned to do himself”</p><p>“For god’s sake, what were you doing to not be paying atten... Oh…” </p><p>Yuta mistook the insecurity on Jaehyun’s eyes with discomfort and he, let’s say it like this, made a whole fantastic and private image in his mind. He shook his head in dismission like wanting to detach that thought off his brain and conformed with the sugar-coated explanation implicit in Jaehyun’s lies.</p><p>“Bingo” said Doyoung amused and, at the same time fed up, from the driver’s seat “Are you done dying of cringe while discovering they were bangging or do I need to wait longer?”</p><p>“Haha so funny. What do you want, Doyoung?”</p><p>“Ask if we know something about Jungwoo yet”</p><p>“Negative, my friend” answered Lucas “But calm down, it hasn’t been so long since he went in, he must be working his way into his pants, you know?”</p><p>The van made its last turn around a corner to get immersed in the part of the city where the  Casino was. Everything around started to show the wealthy side of the town and all the boys mentilized themselves of their individual mission and the relation with the others’ tasks, ready to jump into the criminal stage. </p><p>Doyoung maneuvered skillfully and parked the van in the street with very little bystanders. He scrunched his nose and tried to act like what Lucas said didn’t itch badly, like it was just another day “Do i wait for his signal or do we start already?”</p><p>Jaehyun could hear in his voice that Doyoung was concerned. It was more of a self morality question than a tactical one. Jaehyun hummed thinking about what would be better for the mission.</p><p>He finally decided that it would be better to start going inside the place with separated timing, to make things flow naturally and don’t make it appear like they were planning something, coming in as a group. </p><p>At this rate, Lucas stepped out first and walked into the Casino. Everything was like it always was. The fancy smell of women’s perfume and lipstick, the rather dim lights that invited you to sit down and waste your youth and money on the tables and the warm atmosphere of the carpeted floors and green tablecloth on the game tables. </p><p>Lucas wandered around with a charming smile on his face and made his apparently careless way to a waiter to take a drink from his tray to take a long sip of the alcoholic content. And, no lie, a couple of girls turned their heads to check him out. He smiled back and felt pity about not being able to extend the gesture to a more inviting field, but he was aware that he could not offer them something that would obviously distract him from his real job that night. </p><p>He was natural in his own way. When shooting and fighting was not his major skill, being witty was his specialty and he always used it in his favour. </p><p>He sat down on one of the many tables around and as he said before, he perfectly got to blend in.  </p><p>“Lucas? Lucas? What are you doing?” said Yuta in a lower tone through the tiny ear piece that he stuck in his ear. Everyone got one for themselves for communication through the night, as it was usual to carry in those ambush plans that required synchronization and steadiness.</p><p>“Playing roulette.”</p><p>“Ah! Very good!” said Yuta with an ironic wave of anger.</p><p>“Everything is clear, so far” answered the youngest, giving the information the others were waiting for “So calm down, man. Still no news from Jungwoo… Okay, nevermind, the message just came in, he must be on his way with Johnny”</p><p>“Oh my god” joined Doyoung’s voice with a sigh that left everyone knowing that before this he was on the verge of panic. “Johnny fell in the trick?”</p><p>“Affirmative”</p><p>“Good, I'm dropping Jaehyun and Jaemin now. Yuta and I would be going 5 minutes after them. Everyone goes to their planned position, stick to the plan and try to act like nothing is going on with us. Deal?”</p><p>“Got it”</p><p>The answer sounded like a common sentence, as if they were a choir. Everybody sounded determined and invested in the plan, but no wonder why. It was their life and freedom that they were fighting for at that moment. It was an ending point for them as well as a new beginning. And there was a one way path since they couldn’t go anywhere else, it was their chance to do an upgrade on the quality of their consequences.  </p><p>“This motherfucker is going to see his last tonight” </p><p>Jaehyun unboarded the vehicle and after giving a rough suggestion to Jaemin telling him that everything would be okay unless he did anything stupid, he untied him and let him walk ahead him. </p><p>Jaemin was not a good liar, overall, but it was not necessary, since the employees seemed to know him well. Everyone waved at him and, if not, they gave him a gesture of their heads welcoming him to what seemed to be his second house. </p><p>Once again Renjun seemed to be right when accusing someone, and Jaemin happened to really be Jeno’s special pawn. At the situation they were, that wasn’t even a surprise, everyone happened to be either a piece on a large chess table or a “CEO” with addition to that same chess game.</p><p>Following Lucas’ well built plan, Jaemin walked Jaehyun across the rooms and halls, drink in hand when some waitress approached him to offer one, until they were sitting comfortably at one of the tables, helped by a very polite waiter that took their order, specially Jaemin’s, with care. </p><p>They made it in without problems, half an hour, at the most and he could aim directly at Johnny’s head and shot until his blood painted the walls and Taeyong had could breath freely for the first time in the last nine years. </p><p>That would be the plan.  </p><p>It would have been nice that Jaemin wouldn’t have crushed his expectatives within one thousandth of a second when a shy and slow smirk appeared on his face.</p><p>It made Jaehyun hold his breath and also raised his anger to the top of the limits. </p><p>“What makes you so amused, Jaemin?”</p><p>“Nothing” He answered plainly, almost as if he was going psycho.  </p><p>Then, Jaehyun quietly followed the invisible line that started in Jaemin’s pupils, slowly turning his head to peak what was he looking at, a few tables appart.</p><p>He saw Lee Jeno sitting there, tapping the tablecloth with his nails and faking a bored expression with a shadow of an indecent smile on his lips.</p><p>And listen, the fact of that snotty brat being there, thinking he was the winning party of the day, was, by far, what less molested him. Jaehyun knew that scaring Jeno was as easy, or more, than scaring Jaemin, by his own experience.</p><p>What made the whole thing turn bad as it could have been, was that he was in the middle seat, having Mark at the right and Donghyuk at the left. </p><p>“Fucking son of a bitch” spat Jaehyun uncontrollably.</p><p> *** </p><p>“At least treat me with some respect, scum” spat Donghyuk to Jeno, clenching his body on the chair when the son of the magnate mentioned with self satisfaction that he was right, as he had assured to the policeman. “I am so disgusted. I can’t believe, from all the people… Jung Jaehyun…”</p><p>“Donghyuk, you made a treaty with the mafia!?” Mark almost choked over his own words. This exceeded his capacities by far. When Donghyuk told him that he had important information about NCT he wasn’t imagining that he accepted it from the corrupt Casino’s owner. </p><p>“Someone had to do something. I just took the fucking chance I am tired of staying in the corner while Tail freaks out about his miserable life”</p><p>“Donghyuk... I remind you this is not a game, okay? They are armed!”</p><p>“And so we are” he replied, with no shit to hide, reached this point of the story.  “But Jaehyun… really. Fucking traitor”</p><p>“Fuck, we are going to die, and if we die and Taeil founds out that we are acting illegally and behind his back he will double kill us!” kept Saying Mark in the border of incredulity.</p><p>“I can’t believe he cheated on the police. When Taeil hears that he is seeing a bunch of mobsters he is going to be so heartbroken! No wonder why they always scape our traps, he sure is selling our information to them. That’s it!” said Donghyun infuriated. </p><p>“What’s it?” asked Mark alarmed.</p><p>“For kidnaping a person, a trial of homicide and the spill of information that belongs to the korean national police department, I am going to arrest him. Now!” </p><p>Sure Mark was not so convinced of what his partner was about to do, and he was not believing that a person- no, a friend- like Jaehyun turned to be so despicable under his kind looks. But he couldn’t give Donghyuk a solid argument for him to sit down again when he stood up with his badge in hand ready to arrest Jaehyun at any cost.</p><p>Mark knew Donghyuk very well, he was the one that knew him the most, and because of that he was acquainted about how his methods were not the easiest ones, but that he kept being right about the law. All the things that he said were written in their manual, there were certified laws and files about it. Jaehyun had to be arrested for several felonies now.  </p><p>Instead, the one to grab his arm and pull him down on the seat was Jeno. </p><p>Mark blinked dumbfounded at his actions, as well as Donghyuk but they quickly turned their attention to the reasons that unchained this situation. </p><p>Jaemin had shook his head almost imperceptibly and at that signal Jeno stopped Donghyuk in the spot, no matter how confused he was too, he didn’t want to risk Jaemin’s life over anything, though.   </p><p>Then, as Jaemin tilted his head to one side, everyone followed that direction to witness the ominous entrance of a tall man in the room, all wrapped on a elegant black suit and followed diligently by the company of a smaller boy with the soft and beautiful features of a the most precious choice of whoever that made him that way.</p><p>Jaehyun clearly heard Lucas through the earpiece announcing that he saw Johnny and Jungwoo coming in and mobilizing the rest of people across the Odalisque. </p><p>His brain was moving 200 kilometers per hour but his body froze. </p><p>No, he couldn't answer.  </p><p>Jaehyun could prove that Jaemin knew that if he let Donghyuk come for them at that moment and save his own ass, Johnny would notice them and both of them would end caught in the gunfight and most surely dead, spoiling his plan to go out alive from that one. As well, he knew that if he shot Johnny, the policemen would see him commiting an unrequested murder, arrest and condemn him to the worst sentences. And, last but not least, if he let Johnny go to cover his guilt in front of Mark and Haechan, their chances would be over to save the only man that had made him feel like that before, with that need to take care of him, help him as he loved and adored him with much passion. </p><p>The answers were delaying to come down on his perception. How far can someone go to free the person that puts their heart in movement. </p><p>“Jaehyun? Waiting for your position confirmation, bro” repeated Lucas “Report the situation.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Jaehyun” also said Yuta through the earphones with the tension rising in the air as the boys that were out of the room spoke “Are you there?”</p><p>“Don’t scare us, Jaehyun” accompanied Doyoung.</p><p>“I am here, okay? Give me just a moment”</p><p>“ Not a good moment for… taking moments. Is something wrong?”</p><p>“Yes”</p><p>“What is it?” asked Lucas ready to recalculate all the planning like an automatic gps “Should we back up?”</p><p>“Do not!”</p><p>“What is it, Jaehyun?” insisted Doyoung, obviously growing impatient behind the mic. </p><p>“The police is here” said Jaehyun gelid, locking his eyes on Jaemin, deadly. “Two undercover police men with Lee Jeno, they surely came for Jaemin”</p><p>“Bet” Said Jaemin smirking “He is here for me. He is not going to let his precious jewel be dragged around by grimy criminals.”</p><p>“The police?” asked Yuta parallel to Jaemin’s prideful speech. “How do you know they are cops? Do you know them?”</p><p>A silence hung between the two lines, suddenly.</p><p>There it was. The hole in the plot. The mistake of his planning where everything fell down and dragged Jaehyun with it because of his bold move falling for the hidden delicacy of Lee Taeyong. And there was Lee Jeno, tapping his nails on the table like remarking all that mistakes for him, like saying ‘fuck you, i won and you are doomed’. </p><p>“Jaehyun” said Doyoung startling him when he took him from his trance. “I don’t want to take this fucking moment to be fucking mad at you because it’s not a good one… but don’t you fucking tell me that you are a motherfucking traitor.”</p><p>“Lemme explain”</p><p>“Let you…? The fuck!?” almost yelled Doyoung, whose brain was still waiting for a denial of his worst theories right away but he didn’t get it. </p><p>Jaemin was looking at Jaehyun with a machiavellian mask covering his face slowly as the former policeman started shattering and falling apart with his master plan to be Taeyong’s hero. Oh yes, he was winning this time and having his revenge. </p><p>“What do you even have to explain, you have an alliance with the police!?”</p><p>“Dons, you are jumping to conclusions too soon. He probably has an explanation but this is not the moment” said Yuta.</p><p>The tension was rising too intensely. He barely couldn’t cope with Doyoung about to blow to also be carrying Donghyuk’s dark gaze of hate from across the room and Jaemin’s petulant smirk. </p><p>He was an outcast for both of the teams. He only was legit to one person at this rate.</p><p>Taeyong. </p><p>“Not jumping to conclusions? Fuck him, fuck you two, okay? I let Jungwoo in there, kissing the neck of the demon we all sold our soul to, and you want me to stop to hesitate about someone who is probably betraying me!? Fuck it I am coming in!!”</p><p>“No!!” said the other three boys, including Lucas who had been quiet all that time, almost at the same time. </p><p>“Doyoung for the love of your mother stay where you are or I am kicking your ass so hard you’ll see the firmament”</p><p>“You are gonna get this fucked” hissed Jaehyun. </p><p>“Your ass is what is going to be fucked, bitch, I am coming for my boy and then for you!” </p><p>“Doyoung! Stay here!” kept saying Yuta as he tried to hold him back.</p><p>Jaehyun imagined the scene going on in the halls outside while he heard them argue through the earphones. “He is with us! Don’t you see it?!”</p><p>“Barely!” </p><p>He prayed for Doyoung to control his rage or keep his sanity. Or at least that Yuta could persuade him or hold him in place. </p><p>But the door sounded as if it was about to be separated from its hinges.  It burst open, erasing any doubts that the break in was pacific.</p><p>And as bad as it was when Jaehyun waited to see Doyoung’s purple hair framing the tense face of anger and longing, the image turned worse. </p><p>Oh, the slim and rather short appearance of Renjun, made his heart jump in horror.</p><p>A kid whose surroundings were never good and turned even uglier in the last month. At least Doyoung would have know what he was doing. </p><p>Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows not believing himself. He did not understand how he found them or how he got out of the undercover prison they made for him in their basement but his eyes weren’t lying, the chinese boy had made it to the Casino.</p><p>It was a distressing view, as he was gripping the gun, that he must have taken from their basement, in his two hands like his life depended on it. </p><p>Everything happened at the speed of light.</p><p>Jaemin, who knew who was the guy with the denim jacket over the dirty uniform shirt with the lost tie and buttons down, as well as what he wanted to get going into the Casino, stood up from his chair, knocking it down with his rushed movements and making all the presents look at him with a diverse scheme of expressions, including Jeno, his reason to be there. </p><p>Jeno, too, started raising from his chair and looking back at his boy with worry.  </p><p>It was the last thing he did.  </p><p>Jaehyun almost could watch the whole scene reflected on Jaemin’s watery eyes before Renjun put a bullet in Jeno’s chest, and then two more to make sure. The third one was just a self-homage that, together with the others made the son of the magnate fall on top of the table with an scandalously loud sound and the spilling of all the expensive drinks that were laying on top, changing the colorful spectrum of blue and pink translucent liquids for the dark red that jumped into the scene. </p><p>Jaehyun captured all the happenings inside his retinas, including Johnny’s arching his eyebrow while attending to the murder and Mark’s horrified face when Jeno’s fall was accompanied by Jaemin’s scream muffled against his hands. </p><p>It took only a few seconds, and Donghyuk took the lead, leaping on the chinese boy whose will was not running away from trouble anymore. He had nothing to lose and came in for revenge, it was not like he had cold blood to do it, but gelid. Freezing cold. </p><p>Mark, went after him and accurately jumped on Renjun, making him to end up pressed against the wall with a tud and more screaming and curses while Mark pointed at him with his reglementary gun and Donghyuk fought to click the loop of the handcuffs together.  </p><p>“Jaehyun!?” shouted Lucas through the earpiece, his voice almost drowned by the arising panic  inside the local and the trail of loud speech about the law that Donghyuk was giving to Renjun while arresting him “Tell me that was you shooting Johnny down!”</p><p>“Yuta, Doyoung!” answered Jaehyun finally giving orders “And, fuck it, you too Lucas! Come in right now, I need y’all! Run run run!!!” </p><p>Following his urged words, he tried to quiet down the wheezing acute sounds that were coming out from Jaemin, which didn’t help at all in being discovered by Johnny’s inquisitorial look brushing the room.</p><p>The result of the try of Jaehyun to stop him was only the youngest of them boarding on his ship of despise and anger. Jaemin, for the first time taking at least a bit of initiative, grabbed the first thing that his hand found on the table, which happened to be a silver trail with little bites of bread and salmon, and hit Jaehyun with it.The sharp edges of the plate nailed in his face which made him bend holding the wounded spot that was making him dizzy and giving him even more difficulties to hold him.</p><p>He caught Jaemin, starting a fuss against him.</p><p>Thankfully, Yuta appeared almost soaring through the scene, followed by Doyoung, both ready to intervene.  </p><p>“What’s going on!?” tried to divinate Yuta, whose question lost across the room “Who let this fucking idiot out!?” </p><p>Jungwoo was petrified and mortified on his seat as Johnny started to become conscious of something being off, and the ex-prostitute was still all close to him. The advantage of Johnny’s still lacking knowledge and the confusing atmosphere of average citizens screaming and running out of the room gave them a few seconds to think.</p><p>At that moment, Jaehyun, constricted by the panic of not finishing his plan, also hit Jaemin with determination, knocking him down inconscient over the table, just like his gone lover.  </p><p>And Johnny, finally was aware of everything.  </p><p> The Boss pulled Jungwoo back on his feet, grabbing his hand and yanking him somewhat violently. Jungwoo looked at him with big eyes and a hold of his innocent role to defend himself just a little bit longer to give them time. </p><p>“What is it, love?” He said musically, caressing his face with his hand and a shuttering slightly, with his role kept resoluting even in such a situation “Everywhere we go there’s always shit, uh? I just want a little bit of silence to show you the good stuff. We should go somewhere else to be alone, we…”</p><p>“Don’t try to sweet talk to me, you whore” he cut before Jungwoo could keep with his role, fisting his soft hair on his hand and pushing him back rough enough to move him and cause Jungwoo to whimper. “Oh, no, no, no, Jungwoo, that wasn’t a good move from you, baby”</p><p>Something oppressed Doyoung’s chest with a terrible anger when he heard The Boss talking to Jungwoo like that and treat him like a puppet. He started moving and aimed to his target without any regret, without any doubt of taking him down. </p><p>“Doyoung! Be careful, Jungwoo is in the middle…”</p><p>“Do you think i’m not aware of that!?” he pushed Yuta aside to put him off his way and shot first anyways, hitting superficially on Johnny’s right shoulder. He aimed far enough from the spot where Jungwoo was standing to not hurt him in any case but hurt Johnny who released his tight grip on his hair. “Run, Jungwoo!”</p><p>The youngest turned his back to Johnny, like the other boy asked and ran. He was realistic enough to think he could run through the whole salon faster than a bullet or before Johnny could shoot, it was not the first time he had been in one of those, so he just jumped over a table to hide behind it just in time to be covered when a real and raw crossfire was starting. </p><p>A first bullet touched Doyoung, making a shooting pain go across the area of his stomach, together with a low and pitiful sound from the purple haired boy. </p><p>“Doyoung!” claimed Yuta. </p><p>“What are you doing!?” blurted Johnny, yelling like they had forgotten he could “I gave you all you have, bitch!”</p><p>“Suck my dick, John!”</p><p>All the conceptions that Jaehyun formed about Doyoung, a collection of the words he had said at different moments of their short and intense friendship, were wrong. He said that nothing meant shit for him except from his own life, but there was something else. It was a bigger cause for collective freedom at that moment, a will to save himself and his friends and a shine in his eyes that spoke about his expectatives that maybe could be born by Jungwoo’s side. Jaehyun even thought, just at that moment, that somehow Jungwoo quitting his old job was, maybe, something that Doyoung helped him with. </p><p>He was almost there. Just like Jaehyun.</p><p>“Doyoung!!” echoed Jungwoo while he was about to stand up despite the pain in his leg caused by the rough landing before, to go for him, who was now bleeding. </p><p>Doyoung made a sign with his hands telling him to stay covered. Junwoo watched him aim at Johnny again, the hesitation making him just able to overhear the intermittent song of the crossfire that started in the room. All the remaining bullets of the clip in The Boss’ gun went away easily.</p><p>His beloved Doyoung fell flat to the floor letting out a choking sound of agony, making Jungwoo’s heart clench at the truth. Riddled and murdered, asphyxiated with his own blood, it was too much for Jungwoo to keep looking. </p><p>“Nooooo!! DOYOUNG!!!” he had started running to him, but Lucas appeared through the opposite door of the salon and wrapped an arm around his waist trying to hold him back, his other hand holding a gun that pointed at Mark.</p><p>“Don’t move!” he roared at the cop while Jungwoo fussed on his arms and hit him on his stomach. Not that it worked, Lucas was made of pure energy and adrenaline and an elbow on his abdomen was not really a problem. </p><p>Yuta, on the other hand, somehow assumed way earlier that something like that could happen and collecting his prayers for another moment he was already on his way to end Johnny once and for all, even before Doyoung hit the floor. That piece of evil had already killed too many of them to even trembled while killing him, it would be the only kill that won’t chase him afterwards. </p><p>But he saw in disbelief how he missed the shoot, not because his aiming was bad but because Mark jumped on him in the moment he had seen him distracted and had hit him hard enough to make him stumble and fall without any kind of grace on the floor. </p><p>“Drop the gun, you are arrested!” said Mark loud, his decision and power grew with the adrenaline of the moment. </p><p>“YAAH” Yuta was on a fuss on the floor with Mark on top trying to rip the gun which with he wanted to kill Johnny “It’s him who you have to arrest, he killed my friend!! He killed so many people!! You son of a bitch, let me go, we are gonna die!!”</p><p>“Mark! Let him go, you don’t understand a thing!” claimed Jaehyun, since it was already stupid to deny that he knew the cops. </p><p>He was sure that Taeil never told them that he was undercover, that the boys had no idea of what they were doing. He knew, he fucking knew it since Taeil started calling him that he would fuck the mission from head to toe, if there was any mission left to do. </p><p>He gave up everything and aimed to Mark since he refused to let Yuta go.</p><p>The young police could not believe it when he felt it.  </p><p>At least he was able to move Mark off Yuta.  </p><p>“Fuck!!” said Mark with a cry dropping his own weapon and holding his injured arm. “This hurts like shit!! Hyuk, Donghyuk!” screamed Mark desperate when he saw him chase after Jungwoo who was stumbling across the Casino with Lucas that appeared at some point and took the moment of confusion to save the poor boy, not without taking a bullet on his arm and losing some of his trying to reach Johnny, glasses exploding everywhere as they both pulled the trigger without shame. </p><p>Mark wondered how they could still be fighting so injured if a bullet hit hurted so much, where did they come from, it was insane.  </p><p>Donghyuk was troubled but ran to his best friend. Yuta was given a side punch fueled by both the lawful side of Donghyuk’s heart and the intense fury of seeing his friend like that. Then he kicked his guts and pushed him against the nearest table to cuff him too, but Yuta wasn’t as easy as Renjun, he had been under the rain for way longer and didn’t give up there, kicking Donghyuk making him fall backwards when just only one of the hoops of the handcuffs was closed. </p><p>Yuta really put his everything into the fight but the thing became a real expression of police brutality and finished when both Mark and Donghyuk pinned him down, pulling him out of the room as he kept yelling as the cops pushed them out of the private bar.</p><p>“Y’all a bunch of motherfuckers and I hope you all die in pain! Johnny, I know what you did, you sold all of us!! I wish you fucking die tonight and we met in hell so I can spit in your fucking burning body!!!”</p><p>Jaehyun wanted to help him, he could not believe what was going on. His friends, the two remaining cops of the room, were fighting Yuta, who was the best emotional support he had had in months, and this was happening in front of his eyes.</p><p>But he could not go for him because The Boss, who was the subject of all of Yuta’s curses, was already aware of who was leading the whole complot and the heavy burden was falling more and more over him. </p><p>He was facing him with a kind of gaze that plunged him to the dirty reality in which he was, while his old self and his new self, fighting to death.</p><p>And it was all because of his fault, he made everything happen when he chose Taeyong.  </p><p>Taeyong. </p><p>Still, he would have chosen him once again, a million times, he would have chosen Taeyong and his sweet scent, his pink hair and his black soft eyes over the rest. No matter if he had to fight Johnny one to one, he would, and the world would see how he made Taeyong’s worst fears gone and how his face looked lighting up, going away from the pain that he went through only for the sake of his friends.</p><p>He would give all that love back to him.</p><p>“Who the shit are you?” said Johnny to the undercover police. </p><p>“Jung Jae Hyung” he answered too proud, making Johnny roll his eyes.</p><p>The police, fast, aimed with little to no regrets and pulled the trigger. The projectile nailed in his chest but it didn’t seem to be important for him, making Jaehyun feel the real panic of fighting in a nightmare, reminding him what Taeyong said about the devil not being so unreal. Who could have guessed that Johnny would use a bulletproof vest to go on a date with a hoe? How many enemies do you need to do that? Jaehyun was not having it, he was not surrendering, he told Taeyong that he would help him and he was a man of word.</p><p>“No, bitch, I'm asking who do you think you are to try and suffocate me? Who do you think you are playing with!? Uh!? Rioting against me!? You would pay, oh, bet you would!! You are going to wish you never had this idiotic idea.”</p><p>Jaehyung used one bullet more, getting his leg as target, which made him delay a little bit this time, with a hiss, but that did not keep the Boss from shooting him back.  </p><p>He had an absurd accuracy doing such, he completely got a bullet in his hand, the gun dropping from Jaehyun's hold without him even wanting it. Jaehyun felt oppression in his heart because he was in front of a killer that was too morbid to kill him in one shot or point to his heart, he loved much more to make him suffer. </p><p>And he was going to be merciless.  </p><p>Iron, it was what Jaehun felt digging in his shoulder’s flesh and then in stomach. Johnny had relinquished him from his weapon making him defenseless, and he stood in front of him, extending his terrible aura and immersing Jaehyun in it with him. He suddenly feared him as much as Yuta and Taeyong feared him in the past and through the years.</p><p>Maybe the understatement of the whole thing that were Taeyong’s feelings and reasons was his redemption before his death.  </p><p>“The next time you want to fight someone to death, at least be competent” Spat Johnny so cold it burned Jaehyun’s skin.</p><p>He kicked him back, and so he stumbled trying to steady his weakening body. If the boss shot him again, he didn’t really feel where the missiles were going. He just felt  pain everywhere, creeping to his head and muddling everything around him, feeling that he was near to collapse. If it were not for the other boy who was now close enough to hold him. That he pulled his hair just like he had done with Jungwoo was what hurt less.</p><p>Jaehyun could smell the ridiculous sweetness of his expensive cologne filling his nosetrills and making him even more dizzy than before. </p><p>Then he spoke, guiding the hot cannon of his gun finally to his head. “You. Fucked. It. Up. And you are gonna drag everyone with you. Doyoung, Yuta… everybody is going to end up dead like you” </p><p>“Put your fucking filthy paws off him, John, or I’ll blow your brain up, I swear!!”</p><p>That voice, he would recognize it anywhere. It was Taeyong's. </p><p>He did not understand how or from where he came. He had a wound on his temple that had been bleeding for a while, and more than three bullets lost in his body, his state was not helping him at all but maybe it made sense that he was there if Renjun appeared too.</p><p>He was ashamed that Taeyong had to see him like he was, all bloody and with his knees nailed on the tiles, with Johnny about to give him that coup de grace.  </p><p>But there he was, and gun in hand, Taeyong aimed against Johnny with that presence of his that made him look immovable, he saw him even when his vision was becoming watery and distorted, even if he really tried to stand straight and stop the spinning room around him. </p><p>He coughed blood. Oh man that was not a very good signal. </p><p>“What do we have here?” Johnny laughed “Taeyong, what a great surprise, I had more than clear that this plan was something of your taste, thank you so much, very fun party.”</p><p>“I said: Put your hands off him!!”</p><p>“Uhhh, I see. The little one is getting bold now. Playing the romantic game in your free time, Taeyongie? I knew it… Want a tip? That’s a game that can’t be won, there’s always someone who gets tangled and loses. Like this adorable and handsome man. How is it? Jaehyun? We have to admit he is a good piece, but… too stupid and naive”</p><p>“Don’t dare to…”</p><p>“Who in his right mind would risk so much for someone like you?”</p><p>“You are the same exact trash” said Taeyong with his tone constricted by hate “And we all sacrificed for you”</p><p>“No” the weakening voice that flowed out from Jaehyun's lips alarmed his partner even more. It was titillating to its near extinction “You can’t compare yourself with this living pile of garbage. He is terribly worse”</p><p>“And? What are you gonna do? Consider the possibility of shooting me while I’m here holding your special friend. It’s not gonna work, he will die in my arms like you wished he could sleep in yours”</p><p>It hurt to hear such words, cold like reality. </p><p>“Well, yes! Yes, you fucking bitch, I love him, I got into him!! But what can you even know!? You can’t feel love, you are a sociopath! I bet you didn't even bat an eye when I killed Ten, no matter how much you told him you wanted him!! He died for you, he said your name only when he was about to die and you don’t even wait two days to be screwing other people!!”</p><p>“You cried Ten? Did you!?”</p><p>“He loved you!”</p><p>“C’mon, Taeyong, say it loud so you can prove that you are too weak to lead this gang, prove my point or show me I am wrong and that I don’t have to get rid of you!” yelled Johnny making Taeyong’s hands shiver out of hate. “Of course I did not mourn when he died, there’s no room for that bullshit in this business!”</p><p>“Business!? You call this a fucking business!?”</p><p>“Just me, Taeyong?” asked Johnny ironically with a filthy smirk “Okay, keep faking you did not agree with me all the time, just come and tell me you want to go out. You fucked up as bad as your boyfriend. You could have dedicated your time to rise NCT properly but instead you were making out with an stupid second class bitch”</p><p>“I would rather die than follow your idea of ‘proper’” </p><p>“Then do it! You came for that, right? Because I can tell you you cannot aspire to kill me. This is you or your boy, Lee Taeyong, I don’t fucking care what you choose”</p><p>“No” hissed Jaehyun. Taeyong had not the guts to look at him this time to see his pitiful gaze of pleading for his life. “Don’t be silly…”</p><p>“Oh, look at that, you guys wanted a game tonight and we are going to get it. Congratulations. Let’s see who is going to die now”</p><p>Jaehyun took the only strength he had left and wasted it in tears because what else he could do anymore, the only vision of Taeyong was unworldly and beautiful, to be there waiting to be killed by Johnny right in the spot.</p><p>Jaehyun would have liked to die just in favour of not erasing his presence from the planet. </p><p>He tried everything and failed so now he was just determined to die like he never thought he would be for anyone. But him, Taeyong, the sensitivity he was able to make him feel in just a few months and the intensity in which he made it, hit him hard was different. He couldn’t stand it. </p><p>“Kill me, instead. I prefer it. Please kill me and let him go, please…”</p><p>“Like if your soul is that worth it” answered Johnny “And the boy is so invested… he even came here to fight me, the man he is terrified of, for you. Isn’t that true, Teyongie? How does that make you feel that Taeyongie came for you only?”</p><p>“Stop talking! Stop it! Stop making him hate himself, this is all for you!”</p><p>Well, the only thing in which Jaehyun could not contradict Johnny was there. He wondered how they could compare their lives. He watched, ruined, how Taeyong consorted with Johnny’s few options and slowly pulled his gun to his temple. You all won’t believe it, but Jaehyun could not detach his eyes from him. </p><p>It looked distant, foreign, the sight of his breaking lover.</p><p>He was feeling sick with himself as he could not retire his eyes from this scene. But in his almost feeverly vision of Taeyong and the scrutiny of his details that he wanted to remember if he was going to be gone forever, he almost could feel the pounding sensation of something under his jacket. He drove his right hand there cautiously and pulled out the gun that he almost forgot. Long, shiny, silvery and slim. A well recognizable Elephant Killer with cherry stickers stuck to the body, a weapon that would have only belonged to the hands that were holding a fire gun that seemed to be rough for them. </p><p>Praise the lord that he stole it from Taeyong in the morning. </p><p>He barely even aimed, he just shot with his dying energy and the hope of the shoot to be successful, coming from the deepest of his heart.</p><p>Lucas already warned him. The gun in question had an overpowered damage and god could agree that he saw said power was there when Taeyong shot Ten on the basement. It was quite ironic. The puppet and the master went away in the same way, with a hole on their heads.  </p><p>Damn, it fucking exploded all over the place with a crude noise. </p><p>He hit him from below, making it impossible for him to survive such a wound went the bullet relentlessly went through his brain. His blood splashed across the surroundings and lightly spotted Taeyong’s face, that was a frozen image of literal shock. </p><p>Johnny was too tall to fall down with a quiet sound, his body collapsed with the forcefulness of a building being demolished, and so did Jaehyun, way lighter, when he lost the hold that was keeping him straight. He fainted, or something close to it, with the metallic sound of the gun falling from his hand to the floor. </p><p>He breathed out with the biggest relief he ever felt, knowing that his mission was cleared.  </p><p>Taeyong appeared from the corner of his vision before he could close his eyes confirming that fact, kneeling by his side at the speed of the lightning.  </p><p>“Jaehyun! You stupid butthead you… you almost give me a heart attack, I can’t believe you…” started Taeyong unintelligible as his words were lacing with so many tears and the lack of air that his emotions were preventing to go out his lungs, as their were many of them and too big to hold them down.</p><p>Jaehyun was feeling him, frantically running his hands over his chest in his vanal try to help him out. He was barely understanding his words.</p><p>“I… told…. you… that… I would… save you”</p><p>“Oh my god” said Taeyong sobbing and making a downpour fall on top of him, keeping him awake from the cold wet feeling. He leaned over him closer and trembling took his face between his hands. “Hey, hey, don’t you fall asleep, Jaehyun. Stay with me, okay?”</p><p>“Hmmm? I’m trying”</p><p>“You did so well… I can’t believe you did that. For me. You killed Johnny… I am…”</p><p>“How did you free yourself?”</p><p>“I may have one or two broken fingers but how did you want me to stay home? How did you expect that I could leave you here killing yourself?...Jaehyun, talk to me you damned stubborn kamikaze. I am so in love with you… oh god… oh god… but yes, I love you.”</p><p>Jaehyun smiled softly with his eyes half closed, reminding his face when he spoke to him last night until he fell asleep, because his wyws weere too heavy to keep open anymore. He tenderly pulled down Taeyong to meet his lips. It felt so soft, like just a lingering feeling with an energizing sparkle of adrenaline. </p><p>“Don’t kiss me like that… like if you are saying goodbye or something…”</p><p>“I am not”</p><p>“You can’t leave me now”</p><p>“I... am...  not”</p><p>“Holy fucking shit!” interrupted Yuta rushing in the room with one hand trapped inside a handcuff and the other free from it. His clothes and his hair were a disaster and he had bruises all over his body. But still, he took the time to separate the mess of tears that was his friend from the bloody mess that was the other to discern what was going on. “God. Is he…you know?”</p><p>“No! No, he is not!” answered Taeyong unable to stop crying yet. “Don’t even joke about it”</p><p>“Okay, man, you gotta let go of him, then. We should take him to the hospital, okay?”</p><p>“We can’t take him to the hospital, Yuta…you… we are going to be arrested if we go…”</p><p>“Hey, Tae. Listen to me, I am going to go jail anyways, I shot a policeman and killed Johnny’s bodyguards in front of them and a bunch of witnesses, bro. It makes no sense to let him here without assistance. We can hide you and I will take him”</p><p>“It’s a burden, Yuta! And it’s not yours, but all mine”</p><p>“Taeyong… don’t make me speak about who is taking burdens that are not his… Listen to me, I am so glad for what you did for me, for us all, really”</p><p>“Is there a but for this?”</p><p>“It is. Now I think I am going to turn myself to the police... I can assume the charges myself because, anyways, it’s me who dragged you into all of  this”</p><p>“What are you saying, Yuta? It’s been years, you can’t do that”</p><p>“It’s my fault that you got into this and...it’s not your… thing, it never was. Make up a new life. You were brilliant in high school, you have so much leadership in you, you…you have Jaehyun with you. I am so sure you can make it out this”</p><p>“I murdered several people on these years, I…!</p><p>“So did I! I started this!</p><p>“But…”</p><p>“No buts, dude. I don’t know, go to church and recite a rosary, if you want to redeem. Just visit  me in prison and bring cake or something, I will be fine. C’mon Taeyong, I would rather go to prison than let Jehyun die after all what he did. I don’t want more people dying because of me, Taeyong, do you understand that?” said Yuta finally achieving what he was trying, which was hit on Taeyong’s sensitiveness. The pink haired boy, more weakly than ever, raised from the floor and carefully, they made Jaehyun stand up.</p><p>It was kind of agonic to take him out from the building and take him to the car but it was like the last meters they had to walk for this story to end.</p><p>And they made it. The three of them made it to the car and arrived at the hospital in less than half an hour.</p><p>This time, Taeyong was not looking out of the car window, he was not in his winterly mood. He had his eyes on Jaehyun all the time, checking that he kept breathing without any stop. Almost like counting his heartbeats until they arrived.  </p><p>It was hard too.</p><p>When they stepped in the place and a tide of nurses fell over them when the medical reports started to be filled with notes and the hospital employees called the police for what they saw. Jaehyun was quickly moved to a room because he was on the edge of critical stats and Yuta just hurried Taeyong up to follow his boyfriend. He, who wouldn't forgive himself if he had to leave like that, hugged Yuta hard in his arms. </p><p>“I love you, Yukkuri”</p><p>“Nah~ Don’t say that” uttered Yuta jokingly resting weight to the situation, trying to hide how soft and touched he became in his arms. “Your man is going to be jealous if he sees you flirting with another boy after all he had to take”</p><p>“No. I love you differently, but that’s love too” </p><p>Yuta sighed and surrounded him with his arms too. He probably wouldn't remember when did he last hug him but he remembered the feeling of comfort. The things that had made him, once, think about what could have been if they hadn’t chose that path. If he hadn’t pushed the softest boy he had ever met into the living hell of NCT. </p><p>“I love you too, you know that. Now go, they can’t see you hugging a serial killer, it would’t go well with whichever version you are thinking about to give them” said Yuta waving his hands in dismission “I have the record of not crying through this whole thing, don’t make me break it just at the end”</p><p>Taeyong nodded at him, knowing that Yuta hated to cry in public. He was like that so, at least, he gave him the gift of not making him go through that. </p><p>Then, he was ready to make his way to Jaehyun, about to be a blend of white sheets, tubes and beeping machines all around his injured body. It was the most aseptic and displeasing entrance that Taeyong could have asked for to start his new life with the person he loved, but at that point it was everything he wanted and he didn’t mind sleeping in the hospital room’s chair for a week. If Jaehyun was there and the idea of safety accompanied them, it was enough to make him persevere until they could go home again. </p><p>When the police arrived, with Taeil between its lines, Yuta was the only one left there. He didn’t put up resistance, he let Donghyuk tie his hands together, finally, and he explained everything clearly when they started asking. </p><p>Mark sat down with his arm properly bandaged and a bloody slit eyebrow where Lucas had hit him, while Donghyuk took his task, ready with his files to note everything down since none of the papers that Jaehyun wrote made it to the police station. They would never. That house had been set on fire behind Taeyong’s back when he left. </p><p>Meanwhile Taeil showed up clearly how strong his eagerness to end the case, pestering Yuta with an incessant trail of questions. The japanese boy told them everything they wanted to know, starting from how his childhood went and how he started getting along with the mafia movement, when he met Johnny and they created NCT, Neo Culture Technology, as a smokescreen for a drug emporium valued at millions of wons. He told them clearly that Johnny was already dead, together with Doyoung. That the other members they were allied with their group were already pinned down by Mark and Donghyuk, which was true, as Lucas and Jungwoo had been guided to rooms of the hospital under custody and would be sent to court as soon as their injuries were treated. That Jaemin was as guilty as any other and that he should be found and put into charges like the members of NCT. And, of course, he told his tale saying the truth at everything but Taeyong’s role. </p><p>He didn’t even mention his name, he was just a blur in history that only he knew about.  </p><p>When he stopped talking and lowered his head about to cry for one of the many reasons he had to, Taeil gave the japanese boy an empty look with his big brown eyes. </p><p>Yuta instantly knew who he was with the question that he decided to do as a final blow. </p><p>“What about Jung Jaehyun? Do you know him?”</p><p>“I did”</p><p>“Where is he?” </p><p>“He is dead” said Yuta with no hesitations, making Taeil and the other two officers flinch. Even Renjun peaked his head up from the window of the police car with lamb eyes “You killed him”</p><p>“Me? What is this motherf…?”</p><p>“With your stupid vanity”</p><p>All the things that his sentence implied were not so far from the truth. </p><p>Maybe Jaehyun was not literally dead, but the boy that Taeil used to know from the police academy was definitely gone forever. That Jung Jaehyun he was looking for started vanishing when Taeyong used his name to call him for the first time and it got lost when Sicheng came in the basement as a confirmation of a lack of care from the inspector. </p><p>Taeil gulped while the sensation of anguish invaded him with a tremendous velocity. Mark and Donghyuk looked at each other and then at Taeil, sideways, shyly, acknowledging that Yuta’s statement was as deserved as harsh; making it more obvious when Donghyuk stroked Mark’s back trying to comfort him after being shot twice in one and a half hour as it time allowed.  </p><p> “Shut up, Nakamoto, you don’t know shit”</p><p>“I know because I was there… Were you at any time?”</p><p>Physically he was not. Emotionally, for Jaehyun, apparently, he never was, either.  </p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>